


Asami's Son

by KorrasamiTrouble



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Developing Friendships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Humor, Parent-Child Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-14
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2018-05-06 19:15:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 58,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5427530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KorrasamiTrouble/pseuds/KorrasamiTrouble
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After hearing of Iroh II passing, Korra returns to Republic City to pay her respects to him and his family. Asami Sato (whom she hasn't seen in almost ten years) and her son Iroh Róngyù the third.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Coming Home

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys. So this story is a bit different from everything else I wrote so far on this site. When the idea came to me I had to write it. I wanted an angle on what it would be like if Korra and Asami had kids. This is the first one (out of four other concepts) with Asami having a son and how Korra fits into their lives. Its a bit rocky at first but it will flow eventually. Hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra comes back to Republic City after ten years to attend Iroh II funeral and meets Asami's son for the first time.

Asami was in the kitchen placing a sandwich baggie into her son's lunch box. "Iroh!" she projected her voice again. It was her son's first day of school in a higher grade. He would be the only 9 year old in the 8th grade.

The young man ran downstairs and walked into the kitchen moments later. "Yes mother?" he answered in a form of a question. He wore his uniform: a blue blazer, green vest, red tie and tan pants. All colors representing the United Nations.

"Are you ready to start your first day?" she asked bending down to his level.

Iroh stared into his mothers eyes with a blank expression. "Yes."

Asami wasn't convinced but didn't push on it. She raised her hand up to fix his tie, "there," she said straightening it out. "Good as new and handsome as ever," she complimented with a smile.

"Thank you," he said so softly it could barely be heard. He had a somber expression appear on his face. "Did father call yet?"

Looking at her son's face, Asami was worried on the toll it was taking on him. His father was barely home because of work. Missing every major moment in their son's life. He was suppose to call last week before their son's big day. Not one phone call was received. Asami wasn't sure how to break it to him. "I'm sure he will soon," she replied with yet another excuse.

Iroh gaze dropped knowing exactly what it meant. "Okay," he said walking back into the living room and taking a seat.

Asami felt the sting of disappointment her son felt. She wanted to make him feel better so she added two extra pudding cups into his lunch box before closing it.

A knock at the door this early made her jump. The hard banging stopped as she walked up to the front door. Looking through the peep hole, Asami saw a soldier in uniform. She opened it up to see three of them on her doorstep.

"Mrs. Róngyù?" a soldier asked with an envelope in hand.

Iroh stood up off of the couch and walked behind his mother. He could see the three soldiers. One talking to his mother, another on the left holding a folded up fire nation flag and the last one on the far right holding an urn. "Father..."

* * *

Korra lightly jogged up the stairs to the fourth floor of her apartment building. She placed her duffel bag down and took off her heavy black assault backpack. Taking her keys out of her back pocket, Korra saw a note on her door when she looked up. "The fuck is this?" she said snatching it off. It was an eviction notice from a week ago. She knew her landlord wasn't playing the last time he warned her but this was ridiculous.

Balling it up the paper, Korra threw it over her shoulder and placed the key in the door to unlock it. The key wouldn't turn. "You gotta be kidding me..." she said becoming furious. She picked up the notice and walked passed the broken elevator high tailing it down stairs to confront him.

Once she was on the ground floor, Korra came up to his door banging on it loud enough the whole building could hear. "Aiwei! You old fuck come out here!" she shouted as she kept banging on his door hard with her fist.

The door opened up half way with the chain attached to it. "What is this?" Korra asked holding the crinkled notice up.

"Ah Ms. Jīngshén its so lovely to see you again. Have you come to pay your rent for the last three months?" he said being snippy as usual.

Korra was chewing the side of her cheek out of annoyance. "I told you I wasn't paying for shit til you fixed those leaky pipes in the fucking bathroom!" she exclaimed unable to hold her tongue.

Aiwei had a smug smile across his face Korra wanted to smack off. "I'm sorry about the inconvenience Ms. Jīngshén but in order to stay here tenants must pay their rent. No exceptions," he informed ready to close the door.

Korra placed her hand on the door to keep him from shutting it, "how much," she asked with her temper slightly subsiding.

"Well three months plus late fees equal to about 3,900 which I'm sure you're good for," Aiwei stated in a sarcastic tone.

Her right eye was being to twitch a bit, "oh I'm good for it. I'll bring it to you by the end of the day," Korra said letting go of the door.

She was heading back towards the stairs when Aiwei cleared his throat, "that won't be necessary seeing how I had your things removed from the apartment last week."

Korra head nearly spun around with how quick she responded. "You did what!" she said rushing back to his door.

Aiwei closed it shut. "Good luck finding a new place to live you free loading hooligan!" he shouted behind his door.

Korra walked back slowly and said, "well see about that," before heading up the stairs again. She reached the fourth floor again and walked right up to her door. She took a step back and took a deep breath. She raised up her right leg striking the door hard busting it open. The door nearly came off its hinges.

Walking into her apartment, Korra could see her flat screen was gone along with the rest of her furnishing. She looked around and the bed room and saw her mattress was gone as well. She headed into the bathroom and took the cover off of the back of the toilet. She rolled up her sleeve and took a plastic bag full of money out of it.

Aiwei came through the front door screaming in a high pitch voice at the damage Korra caused. "I'm calling the police!" he shouted as Korra walked out of the bathroom with a stack of money in her hands.

"You do that," Korra said as she approached him. She placed her money inside of a duffel bag she had with her. "Then explain to them how you evicted and trashed a United Forces Veteran's home with out any proper warning." Aiwei looked shocked but Korra wasn't kidding. "Now I don't give a fuck about any of this shit but if you wanna make a scene. If you want a real reason to call the cops. I'll give you one," she said cracking her knuckles ready to knock his lights out.

Aiwei shook his head no and understood what she meant, "I'll leave you be..." he said walking out of the apartment.

Korra hated going that route but the guy had it coming. She walked into her bed room and bend down where the bed use to be. She placed her duffel bag down on the floor and took out a crowbar inside of it. She lifted up the floor boards and took out a large tin can. She placed it aside and reached inside of her shirt to get the key out.

Opening it up, Korra saw a few pictures from her past, medals she earned and a burgundy pin she kept in there for safe keeping. "Guess you're coming with me."

* * *

Korra showed up at Wawa's bar and grill ten minutes later. She approach the bar and set her bag down underneath her feet.

"Hey Korra back already!" Macao the bar owner shouted.

"You know I can't stay away," Korra said with a smirk. "You got any work for me?"

Macao shook his head as he placed a drink down in front of her. "Not since the last time you were here," he said wiping down the bar. He tossed the cloth over his shoulder and cleared his throat, "so how's life treating you?" he asked since she was willing to take another job so soon.

Korra picked up the mug of beer and took a sip before answering, "like shit. Got home today to find out I'm evicted and all my shit was ransacked," she said bitterly as she placed her drink down on a coaster. "Other than that I'm good," she burped out at the end.

"You kidding me?" he asked with Korra answering with the shake of her head. "Fuck... its that little man the one with the thing hooked in his nose right?" Korra shrugged since she never paid much attention to Aiwei. "You want me and the fellas to pay him a visit?"

Korra shook her head no, "nah he's a punk. I'll let karma handle that," she said brushing it off.

Macao understood where she was coming from and didn't want to add the extra headache. "Can I get you anything?"

"Your sisters famous fried dumplings if its not to much trouble," Korra mention feeling her stomach starting to rumble.

"Coming up," he said with a smile before heading into the back.

Korra took another sip of her beer and patted her chest from the sting on the way down. She glanced up at the TV and saw a United Nations military aircraft crashed into the Mo Ce Sea. "Hey," she signaled to another guy behind the bar. "Can you turn that up?" she asked seeing him grab the remote.

The news reporter tapped the papers in his hands on the table as he continued. "Sources say engine failure was the cause of this deadly crash. Leaving 27 dead and 5 severely injured."

Macao came back to the bar with a smile on his face, "Lily's cooking some up now," he said seeing Korra's eyes glued to the tv. He had heard about the crash a few days ago. "Friends of yours?" he asked looking back at her

Korra kept her eyes locked on the screen, "possibly," she uttered. She hadn't been in touch with anyone for almost two months. "Can I use your phone?" she asked finally making eye contact. Who she was gonna call would be someone she hasn't spoken to in years.

"Sure," he said taking out his land line phone from behind the bar.

A total of 2 minutes was all she needed to confirm the worst. Korra placed the phone back on the hook and picked up her pint of beer to finished it. Slamming the mug down hard on the coaster, Korra looked Macao in the eye and said, "I gotta go."

Macao bend down behind the counter and said, "you might not wanna go without this," he said placing a black ligament knee brace on to the bar.

"Fucking A," Korra said as she looked it over. She smiled up at her friend in confusion.

"Saw it at the dump sight last week thought it looked familiar," he said glancing at Korra's initials carved into the sight of them.

Korra took in off the bar and sat back down on the stool to place it on. "That it does. Thanks for saving it for me," she said grateful for his kindness. She stood up again and stretched out her left leg a bit. "Feels good. Can you ask Lily to make those dumplings to go?"

Macao nodded his head yes as he was wiping his hand, "heading out again?" he asked not surprised in the least.

"Yeah back to Republic City," Korra answered with an unenthused tone of voice for multiple reasons.

* * *

The funeral was finishing up by the time Korra arrived to the city. She would have came sooner if she knew a head of time. It was an outside memorial service. The priest was saying some final words as everyone listened. The mediate family sat in the front. Korra could tell by that big floppy black hat with a red feather in it, that it was Iroh's mother near the end of the front row.

Korra sat in the back in an empty chair in order not to interrupt the service. She placed her bags down carefully and took a deep breath as she looked around. Everyone was wearing black so it was hard to spot the widower. It had been ten years since she had seen her dear friend. She wasn't sure if it was a good idea to show up like this.

Asami sat in the front holding her son's hand as the service finished. Everyone who attended were coming up to her saying 'they were sorry for her loss'. She put up the best face she could muster for her son's sake but inside she felt hollow. As if she was having an outer body experience. All the voices and shades of black started to blend in together. Simple nods and thank yous were passed here and there but that was all.

It was until a shade of blue came into her view that caused her blurry eyes to clear up again. She looked up at the person's face and saw that it was her best friend from all those years ago, Korra.

"Hey," Korra greeted as she limped up to Asami. She felt a bit awkward for how casual that sounded.

Asami stood up once Korra got closer. "Hi," she greeted back still in a bit shocked at her friend's sudden appearance.

Korra wasn't sure whether or not to give her a hug. She had her heavy tactical bag on her back and her duffel bag in the other hand. The silence between them forced her to choose quickly. She took her free hand and leaned in placing it behind Asami to embrace her into a hug.

Asami felt Korra's embrace and welcomed it despite how uncomfortable it felt at first. She let go and took a minor step back to get a good view at her friend. It had been years since she seen her but it felt as if nothing had changed.

"Its been a while since I've seen you," Korra said hoping it wouldn't be a disastrous conversation starter.

"Yeah ten years," Asami simply replied.

Even though the conversation was minor, Korra still appreciated being able to see her friend even if it was under these shitty circumstances. "You look different," Korra said with instant regret. She would have face palmed herself if she wasn't holding her duffel bag.

Asami didn't take it as an insult but decided to direct it at Korra. "So do you."

Iroh walked up behind his mother and touched her forearm to get her attention. "I'm hungry now," he said in a lowered voice. He hadn't eaten since last night.

"Who's the little guy?" Korra asked nodding her head toward him.

Iroh adverted his eyes from his mother over to Korra. "I'm not little. I'm an appropriate height and weight for my age," he corrected her with his brows lowering a bit out of agitation.

Asami placed her hand on her son's shoulder. "Korra this is my son Iroh," she said looking down at him. "Iroh this is an old friend of mines, Korra," she said looking back up at her.

Korra stuck out her free hand toward the kid and said, "its nice to meet you."

Iroh looked at her hand as if it was foreign but straighten up taking Korra's hand into his own. "Sure," he agreed without saying likewise.

Korra took note and smiled a bit as she shook his hand. "So you said you were hungry," she asked Iroh as she let go of his hand. "There's a diner not to far from here, if you both wanna go grab a bite. My treat."

"Um... sure," Asami said with Iroh looking up at her a bit confused at her tone. He could tell his mom was hesitant making him question Korra as a person.

"Great," Korra said breaking him out of his thought. "I'm a go speak to Bolin real quick and then we can go," she said walking off into his direction.

Asami watched as she walked away noticing her limp now more than before.

* * *

Korra walked to a booth by the window once they entered the diner. "Smell that?" she asked Iroh who sat down next to his mother. "Fresh baked cookies. Love this place already," she said with a smile.

A waitress came up to their booth and handed them all menus, "I'll be right with you all in a moment," she said walking off in the next second.

Korra looked over her menu and noticed out of her peripheral that Asami didn't open hers. She looked up at her with a questionable expression. "Something wrong?" Korra asked unsure of how her friend was feeling.

Asami was in deep thought until Korra's voice broke her out of it. "Hmm. No nothing is wrong. I just don't have much of an appetite."

Korra gave a simple nod in response and turned to Iroh who was glancing over the menu. "See anything you want?" Korra asked watching as he closed his menu. He looked exactly like his father it was uncanny.

"A salad with cranberries and walnuts but that's all," Iroh answered particular about what he was gonna eat. He hadn't eaten much in days and his stomach growling indicated just that.

Korra heard it and raised a brow to his order, "you sure that will fill you up?" she asked concerned. "You can order anything you want."

Iroh gulped and nodded his head and said, "I'm sure," only to place his hand on his stomach as it rumbled again.

The waitress came back and asked if everyone was ready to order. Korra peeked at her menu again and said, "yeah can I have the triple stack of pancakes, two sausage patties, three hash browns, a biscuit and..." she said glancing over some of the options. "A sweet ice-tea with a slice of lemon in it," she ordered before looking Iroh's way. "The kid here will have a salad with cranberries and walnuts in it and..." Korra said drawing a blank on his drink. "What do you want to drink?" she asked him unsure of what he wanted.

"A water," he answered looking up at the waitress.

The waitress was jotting it all down and looked over at Asami, "and for you ma'am?" she asked as she held her note pad upright in her direction.

Asami shook her head no. "I'm not ordering," she said waving it off.

"Alright I'll have your orders ready soon," the waitress said with a smile about to walk off.

"Actually!" Korra said holding her hand up getting the woman's attention. "Make my order a double."

The woman was ready to write it down, "the same order?" she asked before putting her pen to paper.

Korra nodded and said, "yeah except chocolate chip pancakes for my bud over here," while pointing over at Iroh with her thumb.

That caught his attention quickly. "That is not what I ordered."

"Give it a try," Korra suggested. "If you don't like it you can just stick with your salad."

"Alright. I'll be back in a minute with your drinks," the waitress said walking down the aisle.

Iroh had a small visible frown on his forehead, "its a waste of your money if I'm not going to eat it," he said with Asami looking down at him ready to say something about his comment.

Korra smirked softly with a chuckle, "it won't go to waste," she said before Asami could speak. "If you don't eat it I'm sure your mom will if I don't first," she said looking over at Asami with a soft concerned smile on her lips. "You gotta eat something," she said knowing how hard it must be on the both of them.

Asami looked up at Korra with a distant look but nodded and said, "I'll eat."

* * *

The food and drinks were brought to them in a timely fashion. "Thank you," Korra said to the waitress with a lingering smile. She smiled back at Korra and walked off to tend to other customers.

Asami noticed the look but said nothing. Even after ten years Korra still managed to flirt with any woman she laid eyes on.

Iroh looked at his salad and poked it with his fork before noticing Korra edging the plate she had ordered for him closer to his own. He looked up at her seeing her chewing on her pancake with a hard smirk. He eyed her a bit annoyed with how pushy she was being but couldn't help but look at the chocolate chips that seem to melt in the pancakes.

Korra cut her sausages and swirled them around her plate in a sea of syrup before placing it into her mouth. "Mmmm..." she murmured with a content look on her face.

Iroh knew it was only one way to stop her, "fine I'll try it," he said pushing the salad up before sliding the plate in front of him. He cut the pancake and poured a smidge of syrup on it before tasting it. His eyes grew wide as his taste buds were dancing.

It shown on his face as Korra couldn't help but smile. "So?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Its very chocolaty but its good," he said nearly cracking a smile because of how happy his stomach was becoming.

Korra chuckled and said, "that's the spirit," while continuing to eat. "Asami," Korra said holding up a sausage from her plate in her direction. "Come on," she said looking as if she was gonna feed her.

Asami looked at her as if she had lost a few marbles. "I'm not-" she said ready to repeat herself. Sighing heavily, she reached for it with her fingers and pulled it off Korra's fork. She took a near by napkin and placed it on it since it was hot. Her index finger and thumb had syrup on it which made Korra snicker. Asami eyed her with a hint of agitation but soften up as she wiped off her fingers. She picked up the sausage patty with the napkin and tasted it. She covered her mouth with another napkin and nodded her head at Korra agreeing it was good.

Korra watched Asami with content at her complying with her.

Iroh took his glass of water in hand to wash down his food that was a bit heavier than things he normally ate. He looked at Korra as he sat down his drink, "so how did you know my father exactly?" he asked being formal. Everyone that came to his fathers funeral he had met one time or another or at least heard there name in passing, Korra's was not one of them.

Korra was surprised by his question since he barely had two words to say to her. "Well he was a very distant relative of mines. We shared a few ancestors," she said as she picked up her ice tea and sipped it through a straw.

"How do you know my mother?" Iroh asked quickly taking into account that Korra was a relative of his in some small way.

"We use to be best friends way back in the day," Korra said pointing over at his mother as she adjusted herself in her seat. Her left leg was stretched out in the aisle since it was starting to cramp a bit.

Iroh's interest was peeked at this point. "Really? How did you meet?" he asked looking Korra directly in the eye.

Korra thought on how to word her and Asami's first encounter. It wasn't very pleasant mostly on Korra's part. "A..." she said still thinking on it.

Asami turned in her seat to face her son, "we met at the boarding school you're attending," she said with a smile on her lips.

"Really?" Iroh said as he picked up a piece of pancake with his fork placing it into his mouth.

"Really. It was a bit rocky at first," she looking over at Korra not going into depth. "But we got along great afterwards."

Iroh understood most of it except for one thing, "if you were best friends.. how come I've never heard of her before?" he asked his mother knowing they were using past tense when speaking on their friendship.

Asami was now the one scattered to think of a way to answer his question. Korra took notice of her hesitation and spoke before she could. "I'm not really an interesting topic of conversation," she said with a chuckle to play off the hurt feelings that was building in her chest.

Iroh listen to Korra's response and understood what she meant as he reached for his ice tea to taste it.

* * *

After what was consider bunch at this time, they all headed outside in the parking lot. Asami was walking toward her car and walked slower to keep up with Korra's pace. "Where are you staying?" she asked when Korra looked at her. "I'll give you a lift."

Korra held her bags in her hand and looked around the area shaking her head. "No where in particular since I'm heading back to the earth kingdom in the morning."

"Oh.." Asami said with disappointment. She recovered quickly before Korra could notice, "well it was nice to see you again," she said placing her hand on Korra's forearm. "Thank you for coming," she said sincerely with a bit of sorrow in her voice. She walked toward the drivers side of her van and pressed button opening up the doors for Iroh to get in on the passenger side.

Korra watched as Asami backed up and drove out of the parking lot on to the main road.

* * *

Later that night, Korra had a drink at a local bar with Bolin. "So how was the reunion with Asami?" he asked eating a cheesy popper.

Korra was quiet most of the time but looked his way when he spoke. "There was no blood shed so as good as to be expected," she said with a hint of sarcasm to ease the emotions she was feeling.

Bolin could tell that it was awkward for Korra to be in republic city after all this time specially around Asami. "You still have feelings for her?" he asked bluntly.

"No Bo that was a long time ago. A lot has changed since then so please let that go," Korra asked not wanting him to start.

Bolin was preoccupied by his food that was drowning in dipping sauce, "chickening out again like you did the last time you were here," he said remembering it as clear as his sinuses were being lately.

Korra was growing irritated but refrained from cursing him out by speaking in a calm tone. "I came here to show some respect for the deceased. You should do the same," she said holding up her drink. "To Iroh Róngyù II. May you rest in peace bud," she said taking her shot before sitting her drink down.

Bolin did the same and exhaled quickly right after. "Bartender another round!" he shouted to get the guys attention.

Korra looked across the bar and saw a woman staring at her. She stared right back with a slow smirk forming on her lips.

* * *

Asami came downstairs after saying goodnight to Iroh. She walked into the living room and sat down in a near by chair across from her mother in law.

There was a fire nation tea set out on the coffee table Izumi had set up. She had made herself comfortable while Asami was busy with her grandson.

Iroh was laying down in his bed but was still awake knowing his grandmother and mother were downstairs talking. He was curious to what they had to say. Soon as he knew his mother was in the living room, he got up and walked out into the hallway and knelled down by the stairs to listen in on their conversation.

"I know how devastating this all must be," Izumi said as she held the hot cup of tea in her hands. She eyed her daughter in law with a serious expression, "but I have something important to talk to you about."

Asami was blowing off her tea until Izumi's tone caught her attention. "What is it?" she asked placing her tea down on the tray.

Izumi took a small sip of her tea and placed it down on the tray as well. "Its about Iroh. Now that his father has passed it will just be you and him," she said ready and anticipating Asami's reaction as she continued. "Raising a child on your own is hard. I know that from experience that's why I would like to oppose an arrangement," she said pouring a bit of honey in her tea before stirring it.

Asami didn't really trust where this conversation was leading too. "What's the arrangement?" she asked anxious for Izumi's response.

"I would like to take Iroh back with me to the fire nation. Where he would attend the best schools to further his education and once he turns 18 he can choose any university to his liking," Izumi said as she picked up her tea again to sip it.

Asami was shocked to what Izumi had to say. It didn't even include her in it. Iroh was listening on top of the stairs and sat back with his hands on the floor to prop him up stunned by what his grandmother said.

"Iroh needs a stable home with financial backing," Izumi continued as she held her tea in hand. "How are you going to provide for him and be present parent in his day to day activities?"

Asami was growing more upset by the moment. Her mother in law's self righteous tone didn't help much either. "I will manage," Asami put in a way where her voice didn't raise but her tone was slightly aggressive.

"Manage..." Izumi mimicked in an condescending tone. "With your assets frozen due to your fathers companies illegal trading?" she asked in a form of a question but it was sarcastic as ever. Izumi took another sip of her tea feeling it warming her throat as she could see Asami's emerald eyes piercing into her amber. "What about the fact that you signed a prenup when you married my son?"

Asami sat there tight lipped with a scowl on her face unable to say anything.

Izumi place her tea back down on the tray. She could tell that Asami could blow at any minute and didn't care. "You won't be able to take care of Iroh for much longer. Let alone touch his trust fund so what are you going to do?" she asked waiting for an answer. Not receiving one she continued. "Put your ego aside... and let me help you," she said hoping what she said got through to her.

Asami knew how manipulative the Róngyù family could be and wouldn't bow at their will. She sat up in her seat and gave Izumi a stone cold glare, "no one and I mean no one... is gonna take my son away from me," she said pointing her index finger in Izumi's direction. "If you try you're in for one hell of a fight because I am not giving him up," she said standing up slowly. "Now... get out of my house."

Izumi brushed off her lap and stood up looking Asami square in the eye. "My sons house," she corrected. "The man you've been separated from for two years? You can put on this act for everyone else but you are not fooling me," she said in her own threatening tone. "If you think you can use my grandson as some kind of leverage you have another thing coming," she said before turning on her heels and heading toward the front door. She opened it up and stopped once she got to the porch.

Asami walked up behind her and held the door at her side. "Not that this is any of your business but I've been separated from Iroh for four years. If you're gonna speak on my marriage... know the facts first," she said tempted to slam the door in her face. Izumi turned around when Asami said that. "Your son was no saint," she said with an empty expression. "But my son is..." she stated as fact. She got a bit closer to make her next statement very clear, "and I will make sure he doesn't turn out like any of you," she said before closing the door. She took a deep breath soon as it was shut. As satisfying as it was to get the last word, it didn't last very long when she heard footsteps up the stairs.

* * *

Asami came up the stairs and into Iroh's room. His eyes were closed as he laid in his bed pretending to be asleep. Asami knew he was faking it but didn't speak on it. She came to his bed side and leaned over laying a kiss on his forehead. "Goodnight," she said brushing his hair back. She stood up straight and walked toward the door until she heard his throat clear.

"Mom..." he said lowly. "I don't want to go to the fire nation. I want to stay in republic city with you."

Asami heart sunk now knowing he heard the whole conversation. She turned around and walked back toward his bedside. She took a seat and leaned over him. "You are not going anywhere. I promise," she said taking his hand.

Iroh looked up at her worried that it wasn't true but nodded his head anyway. "Okay."

"Even though your father is gone... we will always be a family. No matter what. Now get some sleep okay," she said pulling up his covers over his chest. She stood up and walked back to the door. "Goodnight Roh."

"Goodnight Mom," he said as she closed the door. He reached underneath his pillow and took out his father's medal of honor. "Goodnight father."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also Just Drive is not abandon for all those who were wondering. The next chapter is almost done its just extremely long and complicated to write. Thanks for the patience guys it means a lot to me. Also I will be posting something up on my tumblr for the Legend of Korra anniversary coming up. So I'm excited for that. Its been a year since the show has been off air as well as the canonization of Korra and Asami's relationship and I'm so happy with how us as a community can express ourselves in many talented ways over a show that has helped us and inspired us for more than a decade. So thanks for reading my fics and sticking with me this long. Also had the song daddy issues by the neighbourhood on repeat while finishing up this chapter. Anyway Later Gladiators!


	2. Back On Track

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bolin tries to convince Korra to stay a few more days. Asami makes plans for her and Iroh's future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors Note: Pumped the rating up to be safe. I wasn't expecting the reaction I got from this story. Never do when I write anything honestly but I'm grateful that you all like this just as much as I do. I will be continuing it so no worries. Hope you all enjoy this chapter.
> 
> PS: Also I'm looking for a Beta Reader. Never had one before so if anyone is interested and tired of reading my horrible errors, let me know. I'd appreciate the help.

Korra woke up to the sun shinning on her face. She squinted her eyes to adjust to the light. She took a deep breath as she shifted a bit in the position she was in. She turned her head to the side to see the woman she had met last night. Realizing now where she was, Korra knew she had to go. She sat up on her side of the bed and grabbed her pants from off the floor. She put her feet through each pants leg and stood up to her feet pulling them up.

The woman woke up and shifted to her side resting her cheek on to the palm of her hand. "Where are you going?" she asked Korra who looked over her shoulder.

Korra turned around to face her as she started to buckle her pants back to where it was. "Back to Ba Sing Se," she said reaching into her back pocket to get her watch. Looking at the time, Korra cursed under her breath. "Shit... I'm late," she said hoping she didn't miss the train.

"In a rush to leave so soon?" The woman innocently asked Korra who was looking for her shirt.

Korra found it on the floor by her boots. "No reason to stay," she said ready to put it on and head out the door.

The woman crawled up to Korra and stood on her knees at the edge of the bed, "what if I give you one?" she said holding up her index finger. "Or two?" she said holding up her middle finger making a gesture with her tongue in between.

Korra chuckled with a light shake of her head, "well when you put it that way... how can I refuse," she said with her lopsided grin of hers.

* * *

Asami when straight to Opal's house after dropping Iroh off at school. She was concerned about the things his grandmother said the night before. Not for herself but for her son since he over heard the whole conversation. She didn't want him to worry about such things specially after losing his father a few days prior. Though she couldn't help but wonder if Izumi had a point.

_Iroh needs a stable home with financial backing. How are you going to provide for him and be present parent in his day to day activities?_

It was a fair question but said at the wrong time. Izumi never really had a filter. She always made clear how she felt about Asami but what happened last night was different. This was her challenging Asami as a mother. As a woman who couldn't take care of her son on her own. It was very hypocritical of her to dismiss all that Asami has done so far with her son and his accomplishments alone.

Iroh III was the youngest 8th grader in the United Republic Academy with countless awards for math and science. He is the president of the math club and vice president of the film club. He played in the school's orchestra with his three-quarter violin, flute, harp and piano. He was the lead in the musical 'Boy in the Iceberg' for the performing arts program last year with his heavenly countertenor voice.

All this with a high IQ and respectable demeanor, Asami felt insulted that Izumi would consider him being better off with her in the fire nation. To be a patronizing, heartless, berating brat like the rest of the Róngyù clan. It wasn't gonna happen, not while Asami was still breathing.

"I can't believe she said all that to you," Opal said disgusted at what she heard.

"Its not much of a surprise. She never really liked me to begin with.." Asami said remembering all the unpleasant visits.

Opal was washing out sippy cups in the sink before sitting down next to Asami. "Well you did marry her only baby boy," Opal cooed in a sarcastic manner.

Asami shook her head at the thought of it, "yeah but I had no idea how much of a mama's boy he was until we got married," she said bitterly.

"Would that had made a difference?" Opal asked as she was fixing lunch.

It took Asami a minute before answering. "No... I loved him."

Opal focused her eyes on the sandwiches she was making for the twins, "so what are you going to do now?" she asked as she placed mayo on both slices of bread.

"Get a job. A new place to stay. Cut back on some things. Its gonna be a struggle for a while but I can manage it," Asami listed out loud as she thought on it.

Opal looked at her friend with a worried expression, "not alone. You know me and Bolin will help you with whatever you need," she said placing a supporting hand on top of hers. "Specially a place to stay," she said gesturing to her house with the wave of her free hand.

Asami was on the verge of tears but held it off with a smile. She was grateful to receive such help. "Thank you though I already found a place last night," she said taking out her phone and scrolling through her history. "See..." she said pointing at a two bedroom apartment not to far away from here.

Glancing at it, Opal stopped herself from cringing, "its nice..." she lied. "But too small for you guys. We have enough room for the both of you here," Opal offered again.

Asami shook her head no. "That's to much to ask. You and Bo already have so much on your plate with the twins and your Nana being sick. I can't," she politely declined.

Opal understood and wasn't going to fight her on this but had to ask. "I know but don't you think rushing to get a place so fast is a bit much in itself?"

What Opal was asking was true but Asami couldn't sit around and do nothing. "I know my savings won't last forever so I need to act in the best interest for my son. The quicker I got this resolved the better. I don't want to give his grandmother any reason to take him away from me," she said still angered over what was said last night.

"Well I know Bolin and Tu will help you move in a heart beat. I'll text him in a few about it... but what are you gonna do for a job?" Opal asked as she finished fixing the twins sandwiches. "Oh!" she abruptly said cutting Asami off. "Baatar was asking me the other day about filling in for one of his workers at his company. He said it was temporary til he found a replacement but I couldn't do it. Maybe you can," she suggested.

Asami wasn't so sure about working for Baatar Jr. with the extra baggage he was carrying. "I don't know..." she said in an unease tone of voice.

Opal knew why but didn't mention it, "come on... they are always looking for engineers specially ones as smart and beautiful as you," she encouraged.

Sighing, Asami knew she could do a lot worse in the short window she was creating for herself. "Alright. I'll give him a call."

"Yes..." Opal said with a cheerful smile only to hear the twins crying as they woke up from their nap. "No..."

* * *

Bolin drove up in front of an unknown address. He waited for a few moments before seeing Korra come out of the building holding her duffel in one hand and her tactical backpack on her shoulder.

Korra walked up to Bolin's pick up truck and opened up the side door behind the passenger seat. "Thanks for the ride," she said placing her bags down before closing the door. She opened up the passenger side one and got inside.

"No problem," Bolin said as Korra settled into her seat. "So you gonna see Asami before you leave?"

Korra cleared her throat as she pushed her back against her seat. "I already saw her yesterday," she replied trying not to get agitated. "Plus I gotta catch the 5:30 train to Ba Sing Se since I missed the one I had," she said making an excuse. She knew he wasn't going to let up so easy.

Bolin knew she would do anything to avoid his questions involving Asami, "sounds like you're running away from your feelings again," he commented as he started up his truck. "You should tell her how you feel-"

"No. I'm over it. I'm over her," Korra said in a more aggressive tone. She had to make her case and point to end this for good. "If I wasn't. Why would I hook up with that hottie from the bar last night," she asked pointing her thumb back at the apartment building.

Bolin gave her a look with the shake of his head to follow. "I think you just answered your own question," he said getting an text on his phone. He pulled it out of his back pocket and saw it was from his wife that read: Reserve a truck for Asami this weekend. He texted her back saying he would before placing his phone in the cup holder.

Korra noticed the look on his face and wondered what happened. "Everything alright?"

"Yeah I guess... Asami might be moving out of her house," Bolin answered still unsure if that was the reason.

"Why would she be moving?" Korra asked curious seeing how Iroh's funeral was less than 24 hours ago.

Bolin pulled his truck on to the main road and stopped behind a smaller vehicle at a red light. "I don't know but if you want to find out I could drop you off at her place," he suggested as he looked over at her brightly.

Korra knew what he was trying to do and narrowed her eyes at him. "I'll pass. Its none of my business anyway," she said looking out her side window.

"Then why'd you ask?" Bolin said with a smirk as he turned his attention back to the road.

Korra looked over at him now annoyed. "Look if I'm gonna be dropped off anywhere its the train station," she said hoping not to be ambushed like last time.

Bolin snickered at her aggravation, "why are you in such a rush to leave? Do you have some place else to be?" he asked as he started to move his truck again.

Korra thought on it and said 'no.'

"Then you should stay for a few days so we can catch up," He suggested with excitement in his voice. Bolin hasn't seen Korra in almost a decade. They talked here and there over the phone but not long enough for a real conversation. "Come over to my house for dinner tonight. We got plenty of room," he said nudging her shoulder with his elbow.

Korra listen to his words and couldn't help but smile to herself. "Alright. I'll consider it," she said not giving a definite yes.

Bolin couldn't help but smile at her answer. "Great. I gotta few things to pick up at the grocery store first. You don't mind lending me a hand do you?"

"Not at all," Korra said with her stomach rumbling at the thought of a home cooked meal.

"Awesome! This is gonna be sweet!" Bolin shouted as he turned up the radio.

* * *

Asami when back home after talking to Opal. She typed in Baatar's number and waited for him to pick up. "Hi Baatar. Its Asami. Asami S- Róngyù," she corrected herself, waiting for his response.

"Hello Asami. My sister told me you would be calling. I hear you're looking for a job," Baatar said direct as usual. Before she could answer, he continued, "I'm free for lunch if you'd like to discuss it. Meet me at Kwong's Cuisine in 15 minutes," he said before hanging up.

"I'll be there," she manage to say before he hung up on her. She placed her phone down and took a deep breath wondering if this would be worth it.

* * *

Bolin and Korra were in Wan Mart looking for items on Opal's list. It was longer than Korra expected but she tried her best to find everything listed.

"How can Opal cook all this food?" Korra asked Bolin as she placed a fresh bag of green peppers into the cart.

"My wife has skills that I would never question," Bolin said with pride.

Korra chuckled to herself as she ran down the list again, "yeah if you wanna eat..." she mumbled as she crossed off what they had so far.

Bolin smirked at her words but soon faded when something came to mind. "Hey Korra," he said seeing her turn to face him. "Why did you decide to come back to Republic City now?" he asked with a raised brow. It had peeked his interest every since she arrived yesterday.

"I don't know... just did," Korra said breaking eye contact with him.

"Well I don't know if I'm ever gonna get another chance to see you again..." Bolin began to say. He wasn't sure how to word it but it was important for her to know. "And I don't mean to pry," he pointed out as he when on. "But... its so much you missed already and... could you at least tell me what you've been up to these last ten years?" he asked a bit hesitant. He knew how she could be when cornered, closed off, unresponsive, anything to get away from her feelings.

Korra thought on his question as her eyes were still on the various fruits before them. She didn't have much to say which threw her for a loop. Sure she had kept her self busy but what has she really accomplished. She wasn't sure if some of the things she had done was even worth mentioning. Knowing he wanted an answer, Korra cleared her throat and decided to keep it simple as possible. "Just a... been busy," she said making eye contact once more. "Working here and there. That's about it," she plainly put. It wasn't all black and white. She had stories that could fill up this whole entire market but wasn't comfortable enough to say it. Not yet anyway.

Bolin stared at her for a few seconds before saying, "sounds really lonely." He quickly realized what he said and covered his mouth.

Korra looked up at him with narrowed eyes. "Its nice to know that my friends don't judge me," she said sarcastically before walking down the aisle into another.

* * *

Asami walked inside of Kwong's Cuisine and up to the hosts booth. "Hi I'm looking for Mr. Beifong." she told the man before her.

"Ah yes, right this way," he said escorting her through the restaurant. She followed him all the way toward the back in the reserved section and up to Baatar's table. "Here you are," he said pulling out a chair for her to sit.

Asami saw Baatar sitting across from her with a fresh drink in his hand looking at his phone. "Thank you," she said to the waiter and took a seat in front of him.

"My sister just texted me. She wanted to know if I still had any opening spots," He said putting his phone away and taking a sip of his drink.

Asami knew Opal was trying to help but didn't want her to go out of her way. "Yes and if you don't I understand. Anything would do even if its part time," she said knowing this was a huge favor coming from him. He wasn't known for his generosity unless he was getting something out of it.

Baatar placed his drink down on the table and look at Asami, "there is a position that needs to be filled handling the phones," he said knowing it wasn't a dazzling job opportunity.

"Like an assistant?" she asked unsure of what he meant.

"No, at our customer service department," he corrected as he fixed his glasses. Baatar knew what Asami was capable of and to put her in any position less than what she was qualified for was not only a waste of her time but his as well. "You can start there and once something better comes along. I'll bump you up. Gradually of course," he said not trying to show any favoritism because she was his sisters friend.

Asami was surprised at how accepting he was. She had heard a few things specially from Opal at how he had a certain power trip when it came to taking over his father's company. She expected to be jumping through a few fire lit hoops to get this far. "Thank you for the opportunity," she said voice filled with gratitude.

Baatar gave a brief smile before nodding in acknowledgement. "When is the earliest you can start?"

"Well I'm moving this weekend so maybe Monday," Asami said thinking on it out loud. She wasn't sure if there was anything she was leaving out. All she knew was the sooner this was done the better.

Baatar gave a full blown smile at her attitude and stood to shake her hand. "Monday it is," he said as she stood up to shake his hand. "I'll have the paperwork sent to you as soon as possible," he said as he sat back down in his seat.

Asami smiled and gave him a nod, "thank you. I don't know how to repay you for this," she said knowing she would prove her worth.

"You don't have too," He said in a serious tone but glanced down at the table. "There is just one little thing.."

"What's that?" Asami said noticing the shift in his attitude.

Baatar looked up at Asami with a somber expression. "You'll be working under my fiancee, Kuvira."

* * *

Bolin pulled up to his drive way and parked. Korra got out and walked toward the back of the truck grabbing a few bags. He got out and walked straight to his front door to open it. "Honey I'm home!" he shouted seeing Opal appear from the kitchen.

"Hey sweetie," Opal greeted as she kissed him on the cheek and took a bag from him.

Korra came inside and saw two little rugrats running pass her. "Whoa there.." she said side stepping them.

"San and Su sit down," Opal ordered her two year old twins. She came up to Korra and gave her a hug. "Hi Korra is so good to see you."

"Its good to see you too," Korra said following Opal into the kitchen.

Bolin put the milk into the refrigerator and said, "I'll be right back." There was still a few more things in the truck he needed to get.

Korra watched as he left and turned her attention to Opal as she spoke.

"So Korra. How long has it been?" Opal asked as she started taking things out of the bags and spreading it on the table.

"Almost ten years..." Korra uttered wondering how many people were gonna ask that.

Opal smirked at Korra as she walked over to the fridge to put the eggs in. "Time flies doesn't it?" she said leaving it as that.

Korra was surprised and grateful she didn't pry unlike her husband. "Yeah it does. Sorry I didn't visit sooner," she apologized. She could see how much she actually missed. Bolin and Opal married with two kids. Asami married with one. She wondered where that left Mako and Tu.

"I understand no need to apologize," Opal said as she started placing some cans in a cabinet. She closed the door and turned to face Korra again. "What matters is that you're here now," she said with a smile.

"Thanks..." Korra said feeling a bit of pressure ease off of her.

Opal continued to smile and frowned when she heard little Su screaming. "Do you mind watching the kids for me while I cook?"

Korra looked toward the living room over at the children who were romping on the couch and back to her. "Them?" she questioned with her thumb pointed back at them.

"Yes them," Opal chuckled. "They don't bite."

Korra looked back at the kids shaking her head, "are you sure? they might just gum me to death," she said looking back at Opal.

Opal giggled to herself and smiled, "that is a possibility too."

"That's comforting," Korra said with a smirk.

"You speak to Asami today?" Opal asked out of her own curiosity.

Korra should have seen this question coming but didn't get upset about it. "No just yesterday after the funeral that was pretty much it."

Opal understood and gave Korra a nod leaving it as that.

Korra watched Opal placing all her ingredients she was going to cook on the counter. She thought on what Bolin said earlier and decided to ask. "So a... Bolin mention earlier that she was moving," Korra said leaning up against the counter as she sat on the stool.

"Yeah... she can't afford to pay the mortgage on her own," Opal said knowing there were other reasons why Asami was doing this but didn't add it out of respect.

"I understand," Korra said with her gaze dropping down. "Is she gonna be okay?"

Opal looked over at Korra seeing her expression change to a gloomy one. "She's been through hell and back so I'm sure she will," she said placing her hand on top of Korra's with a smile.

Korra smiled back as Bolin came through the door with all the bags in his hand ready to fall over. "I'll be right back," she said walking into the living room to help him.

* * *

Asami waited outside in her car and saw Iroh walking up. She smiled once he got in the car and asked, "how was it today?"

Iroh placed his seat belt on and grasp the book he had in his hand. "I have a book report do by the end of the month," he said as Asami started to drive away from the school.

"What's the book called," Asami asked keeping her eyes on the road.

Iroh glanced over the book cover and said, "the little fire bender."

Asami turned her attention to Iroh for a quick second flashing another smile. "I remember reading that. If you need any help with it I'd love to read it to you," she offered as she stopped at a red light.

Iroh shook his head as he looked down at the book then back to his mother. "I can read it on my own but if I have any trouble. I'll come to you," he said not denying her help.

Asami smiled but it soon faded at the realization of how fast everything was turning. It was so overwhelming she wanted to burst out and cry. She held back with a deep breath and said, "things are gonna be a little different," she said meeting his eyes again. "There's certain changes that have to be made but we'll get back on track soon. I promise," she said reaching for his hand and taking it in her own.

Iroh looked down at her hand unresponsive. He knew what she meant even if she didn't go into detail. He had seen it plenty of times with other kids who had either lost a parent through divorce or death. It was all the same. To him nothing was really going to change. It would still just be him and his mom. "Okay," he answered giving her hand a small squeeze.

Asami released his hand and brushed hers through his hair. "That's my boy."

* * *

Korra was swinging the twins around in each arm and tossing them one by one on the couch. They climbed off and stood back in front of her shouting: 'again again!' Out of breath, Korra waved them off and said, "I gotta.. I gotta catch my breath first," she said hearing the door bell ring.

"Could you get that for me!" Opal shouted from the kitchen.

"Alright!" Korra shouted back. She picked up San and Su again tossing them both on the couch before racing toward the door. She opened it and saw Asami and Iroh III standing there.

Asami was shocked to see Korra there but quickly recovered, "hi," she greeted.

Korra snapped out of her initial shock and said, "hey..."

Asami smiled and placed her hand on Iroh's shoulder and said, "can we come in?"

Korra looked at her confused and realized she was blocking the entrance, "yeah. yeah come in," she said stepping aside. "Sorry about that," she said closing the door behind her.

Iroh walked up and sat on the couch next to San and Su.

Korra stood next to Asami and waved over to Iroh. "Sup little man," she said with a grin.

"Hello," Iroh said with a bit of irritation in his tone.

Korra smirked at his response and looked to Asami. "You guys here for dinner?"

Asami nodded her head as she glanced over at the twins. "Every weekend. Yes," she said looking to Korra.

Korra felt like that was a little shot at her but ignored it. "How is everything?" she asked to see if Asami would tell her.

"Good," she quickly replied.

Nodding, Korra looked over to the kitchen to see if Opal was coming to interrupt their soon to be awkward conversation. After a few seconds, she turned her attention to Iroh who was reading a book. "How's he holding up?" she gestured to Iroh with the nod of her head.

Asami looked over at her son with a sigh to follow. "I'm not sure," she said feeling awful about it. "He hasn't said a word about it since the day we found out." She had tried to talk to him about it a few times but he wouldn't say anything. Just an 'okay' or 'alright' to answer.

"Has he cried yet?" Korra asked looking to Asami.

Asami shook her head no. She knew that he was bottling up his feelings like she use too. She wasn't sure how to bring him out of it. He had to let it out before it crushed him inside.

Korra saw the look in Asami's eyes and wanted to comfort her. She raised her hand to place it on her back when Bolin came down the stairs.

"Hey!" He shouted getting everyone's attention. The twins ran to their dad who picked them both up. Opal came out of the kitchen and told them dinner was ready. She took San and Su from Bolin and walked back into the kitchen with them on each hip. Iroh closed his book and walked into the kitchen with them. Asami walked up and took Su from Opal's arms to place her in her high chair while Opal placed San in his.

Korra pulled Bolin aside before he could make it into the kitchen. "Why didn't you tell me Asami would be here?" she asked already irritated.

Bolin shrugged his shoulders with an innocent look in his eyes. "Must have slipped my mind," he said with a smile. "Relax..." he said placing an arm around Korra. "You have nothing to worry about since you're clearly over her," he said patting Korra's back hard before walking into the dinning area with everyone else.

* * *

As everyone began to eat dinner, Bolin decided to start a conversation. "So Asami. I reserved a truck for you this weekend," he said still chewing his food. He dipped his bread into his sauce and took another bite, "only problem is Mako is out of town for the weekend. So I'll have to ask Tu to pitch in unless..." he said dragging it out as he looked to Korra. "Korra wouldn't mind lending a hand."

Korra looked up from her plate and over at Bolin like he was crazy.

"That isn't necessary," Asami answered Bolin before Korra could. "I'm sure Korra has other things to do with her time."

Korra wiped her mouth with her napkin and said, "I do since I'm heading back to Ba Sing Se," while giving Bolin the look of death.

Bolin gave Korra a challenging smirk in return, "you did mention to me earlier about staying a couple of days. Why not this weekend?" he suggested as if it was nothing. Korra stared him down trying not to fume.

Opal could see the tension and placed her hand on top of Bolin's. "Stop it," she whispered. "Korra is leaving soon so get Tu to help you," she told him giving him a look.

Asami was feeling very uncomfortable and it was written all over her face. Korra could see it and sighed heavily, "its alright. There's no need to bother Tu. I'll help you," she said to Bolin. She was agitated at him volunteering her but if it would help Asami why not. "What's a few more days in Republic City anyway," she said looking over at Asami with a small smile. She wasn't sure if she was trying to convince Asami or herself.

* * *

After dinner, Asami cleaned up the dishes while Opal put the twins to bed. Bolin and Korra were outside of the house talking.

"You're a shithead for doing that," Korra said knowing he meant well by it.

Bolin shrugged lightly as he took a sip of his beer in his hand. "It would still be nice to have some help," he said actually meaning it this time. He gestured with the tip of his bottle toward her brace. "You worried about your leg?"

Korra raised a brow and looked down at her leg. "That's not what I'm worried about," she said looking back at Bolin.

"It's Asami isn't it?" he said with a small smirk. Bolin chuckled as Korra frowned again. "Its written all over your face."

Korra looked away from him and shook her head as her gaze fell to the ground. "Things are different now. Its clear I don't belong here," she said with a distant look in her eye. Taking a deep breath, Korra looked up to the sky to gather her thoughts. "All I'm going to do is help them move into their new place and that's that," she said ready to skip town now. All these memories and feelings were swirling around in her head making her sick to her stomach.

"Suit yourself," Bolin said with a belch to follow.

Asami came outside of the house and stopped short on the porch once Bolin and Korra looked back at her. "Bolin, Opal wants you," she said pointing back to the door.

Bolin nodded and tapped Korra on her shoulder twice before walking inside the house.

Korra turned to face Asami unsure of what to say. She instead took a step up and stood on the porch next to her. "Do you need help packing?" she asked knowing what happened earlier was a bit unsettling.

Asami looked back at the house to see if anyone was coming. She turned to Korra and took a step closer to her to keep their conversation private. "You really don't have too. I know you have better things to do with your time and Bolin shouldn't have pressured you like that," she said feeling bad for putting Korra in a situation like that.

"I want too," Korra quickly said without hesitation.

Asami looked her in the eye and said, "you don't have to lie."

Korra broke eye contact with Asami and cleared her throat, "I wasn't," she said looking her dead in her eye.

Asami could see it in those bright blue iris of hers and knew she wasn't. "Its been a long day," she said changing the subject.

"Ditto," Korra replied unsure where to steer this conversation. They stood in awkward silence for a bit until Korra spoke up again. "It was really good seeing you again," she said wanting her to know that regardless of how weird their interactions have been.

Asami looked at Korra with a blank stare that lasted a few dreadful seconds for Korra til her lips curved into a smile. "Ditto," she whispered.

Korra shared a smile with her that quickly ended when Iroh came out of the house.

"You ready to go?" Asami asked Iroh who was clutching his book. He nodded in response. "You say goodnight to Mrs. Yōso?"

"I did," Iroh finally answered.

Asami smiled and reached her hand out to him. Once he took her hand, she pulled him to her side with a small side hug. She looked up at Korra with a pleased expression. "You need a ride anywhere?" she asked wondering if Korra was actually gonna stay in the city this time.

Korra watched the two of them and was caught off guard by her question. She poked her bottom lip out and shook her head slightly. "No I'm... just gonna crash here on the couch tonight," she said gesturing toward the house with the nod of her head.

"Alright, well I hope you have a goodnight Korra," she said before walking down the stairs with Iroh and toward her car.

"You too," Korra replied seeing Asami look back at her. Iroh got into the passenger seat and closed his door. Korra watched as they drove out of the driveway and down the street. "Shit..." she said feeling that same overwhelming sense in the pit of her stomach now knowing what it was: emptiness.


	3. Moving Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bolin and Korra help Asami move into her new place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors Note: This chapter will be shorter than usual. So I hope you all don't mind. Still formatting the story out so its gonna take me some time to update this properly but soon as I get that established it should be smooth writing from here on out unless writers block or real life interferes. Also I want to thank Korrasami Shipper and Createworks for some sound advice that I will keep in mind when writing this story. As always hope you guys enjoy the chapter. Later Gladiators.

Asami finished packing the last of the boxes. She was exhausted but knew this had to be done. Tomorrow she would be starting her new job and needed to have everything in order before then.

Iroh was outside on the porch reading his book. He was half way through with it but finding it difficult to concentrate with all that was going on. He looked up when he heard a honk of a horn.

A big truck with the sign 'Yōso Bros Moving Co.' on the side of it parked in front of his house. Korra got out of the truck and saw Iroh sitting on the porch. Bolin rounded the back of the truck as she walked up to the house. "Hey kid," Korra said stopping in front of him.

Iroh closed his book and held it in his lap. "Hello," he greeted as he made eye contact.

Korra noticed the book he was reading and gestured to it with the nod of her head. "Whatcha reading?" she asked curiously.

"The little fire bender," Iroh answered holding the book up for her to view.

Smiling, Korra took a seat beside him on the porch. "Its a good book. You'd like it," she commented since she had to read it in school.

Iroh looked back at the book and grazed his finger tips across the cover. "I don't understand the premise of it," he softly said.

Korra reached for the book and gently took it out of his hands. She looked it over and scanned the back cover. She turned it back and saw the cover art for it. A young boy who was sitting on top of a hill underneath a tree with the sun setting in the back. "The premise is for him to find his way back home," she said getting that from the brief summary.

Iroh shook his head and opened up the book to the part he left off at. "He seems pretty content with where he is now so why go back?" he asked looking to Korra as if she had the answer.

Korra brows furrowed in thought. "Not sure. I haven't read it in a while so I'm not sure what part your talking about," she said seeing a glint of disappointment in his eyes. It was as if it was something else behind it.

Before she could ask, Asami came out of the house. "Hey," she greeted Korra with a small wave.

"Hey," Korra said standing back up. "What do you have for us?"

Asami held the door open for Korra to come inside. "Too much stuff..." she stated with a sigh.

Korra came inside and looked around seeing everything boxed up except for the furniture. "I see..."

Boin came in after Iroh did and rubbed his hands together. "Awesome," he said looking around. "Korra," he said getting her attention. He pointed at the couch and said, "we're gonna be moving the heavy stuff first. Let's check and see what we're working with upstairs before I bring the dolly up to the door," he said heading the stairs in seconds.

"Oh joy," Korra mocked at his enthusiasm and headed up the stairs behind him.

* * *

Once everything was on the truck, Asami stood in her now empty house looking around. Memories started to flash through her mind. The first night they brought Iroh back from the hospital. His first steps. His first birthday. His first Christmas. Everything.

Even the memories of her husband's presence when he was on leave. She hugged herself to stop her body from trembling. The tears she was fighting back was threatening to fall until she heard footsteps behind her.

"Everything's set to go," Korra mention with a deep breath to follow. She was worn out but knew there was more work to do.

Asami turned around and flashed a small smile. "Thank you," she said grateful for the help.

Korra squinted her eyes a bit and nodded her head, "no problem," she said standing up straight and cracking her back in the process.

They both left the house and stood on the porch. Bolin was locking up the back of the truck while Iroh was waiting for his mom in their van.

Korra watched as Asami was locking up her house one last time. "So where are you moving to anyway?"

"Dragon Flats Borough," Asami uttered as she turned to face Korra. She knew it wasn't the most luxurious place but it was the only one she could afford at the moment.

"Cool," Korra replied with another nod. "Lead the way."

* * *

Bolin and Korra followed Asami in her van to her new place in Dragon Flats Borough. They parked in front of her building and started to unload the truck. Asami lived on the third floor so it only took them a span of two hours to get everything inside of her apartment.

Korra was sitting on the steps in the hallway trying to fix her brace. She felt her leg tingling in pain but ignored it. It was something she was use to that would die down soon enough.

Asami was inside with Bolin and Iroh. "Thank you so much for all your help Bo," Asami said reaching into her purse taking out a couple of yuans.

Bolin waved it off before she could hand any over, "your welcome and its on the house," he said sincerely.

Asami felt bad that he was rejecting her money. "Are you sure?" she asked willing to pay the full amount.

"Of course I'm sure," he said with a smile. Bolin headed toward the front door and took a hold of the doorknob, "I'll call you after dropping the rest of your belongings in the storage unit," he said holding up the keys to her unit.

"Thanks Bo," Asami said before he left.

Bolin closed the door behind him and walked up to Korra. "Ready to go?" he asked tapping her on the shoulder. "Or you want to stay here and help Asami unpack?"

Korra looked up at Bolin when he spoke. "Don't you need my help placing their stuff in storage?" she asked as he walked down a few steps and stood in front of her.

Bolin shook his head no. "I already called Tu. He's gonna help me with it so no worries," he said with a smirk. "If you wanna stay and help... you can," he said nudging her good leg. He wasn't sure if she was gonna consider it but was hoping she would. "I'll even pick you up after your done," he offered before she could counter with an excuse.

Korra looked behind her at Asami's apartment door. She thought on it for a few moments before responding. She turned to face Bolin again and gave him a nod. "Alright I'll stay."

"Great! I'll see you soon!" Bolin practically shouted before running down the rest of the stairs.

Korra shook her head amused at her old friend. "See you," she said before standing up and heading back into the apartment.

* * *

Korra came back into the apartment and closed the door behind her. She saw Asami re-positioning the coffee table in the center of the living room. Not wanting to spook her, Korra cleared her throat. "Bolin's gonna handle the storage unit with Tu," she said pointing behind her. "While I um... help you unpack," she said stopping by a stack of boxes.

"That's not necessary," Asami said picking up the box cutter. She walked over to the stack by Korra and started to open one. "You already done enough," she said looking Korra in the eye.

"Its no problem. I really don't mind," Korra said with a side smile. "So!" she said being just as loud as Bolin. "What do you got for me?"

Asami giggled at her 'out of the blue' burst of energy. "Um..." she said looking around before pointing at a box. "Could you sort those dishes out. While I wipe down the cabinets?" she asked handing over the box cutter to Korra.

Korra took the box cutter in hand and gave a small salute. "No problem boss lady," she said to Asami before taking the box of dishes and opening it up.

They both began to work together quietly. Asami wiped down every inch of the cabinets while Korra unwrapped the dishes and stacked them into neat piles on the counter. Once Asami was done, Korra started to pass her dish by dish as Asami placed them inside of the cabinets.

When the kitchen was finished, they decided to take a small break. Korra sat on the couch when Asami passed her a water bottle from the fridge. "Thanks," she said twisting the cap off and taking a sip.

"No thank you for helping me today," Asami corrected as she took a seat beside Korra. "If it wasn't for you and Bolin I'd be screw'd..." she uttered as she opened up her own bottle.

"Its no problem," Korra added as she nearly finished off her bottle.

Asami stayed quiet for a second before speaking. "Sorry again for Bolin putting you in this position..."

Korra saw that Asami was focused on a spot on the floor not making eye contact with her. "Please don't apologize," she said with the most sincerity. "I owe you one for the way I acted the other night," she said placing her hand over her heart. She still felt awful for how she declined to help the first time. "I didn't mean for it to come off as if I didn't want to help you," she said lowering her hand. Asami remained quiet so Korra continued. "I wanted too. I just wasn't sure if..." she said not sure how to say it.

Asami slowly looked up to Korra and blinked, confused to why she stopped. "Wasn't sure if what?" she asked in a clueless tone of voice.

"I wasn't... I wasn't sure if you wanted me around," Korra admitted, breaking eye contact afterwards.

Asami saw a glimpse of loss in Korra's eyes before she looked away. She wanted to comfort her and to tell her what she thought wasn't true but couldn't. Thoughts of ten years between them came flooding into her mind. It was so much they had both missed in each others lives. She wasn't sure if Korra was the same goof ball she met all those years ago. Hell, she knew she wasn't the same so why did it feel like nothing had changed. She placed a soft comforting hand on Korra's back working up the courage to say something, anything.

The long pause was killing her. She kept her eyes closed unable to look Asami in the eye. What if it was true. What if she wasn't wanted back. Wasn't needed. Wasn't welcome. That feeling was stinging in her chest as she took a deep breath. Things had changed so much in her absence. Maybe it was better if she stayed away. A soft hand against her spine sparked something in her she hadn't felt in a long time. Her eyes opened as she turned her head to face Asami.

Before Asami could say a word, Iroh came into the room. She spotted him out of the corner of her eye. "Hey Roh," she said to her son. Korra eyes followed Asami's and saw Iroh standing across the room. "You hungry?"

"No," Iroh answered. He held the same book he had with him all day to his side. "But I finished it," he said holding up the book slightly.

"Good," Asami replied gently rubbing Korra's back. It soothed out her breathing which was something Korra didn't expect. "You ready to go back to school tomorrow?"

Iroh gulped and looked down at the floor as if he had dropped something. He looked back up at Korra and then to his mother. "Yes," he said without any more hesitation.

Korra noticed the look of uncertainty on his face but his words said otherwise.

Asami removed her hand from Korra's back and smiled at Iroh. "Alright," she said noticing the same but wasn't going to push. "If you change your mind let me know," she said seeing him nod. "I'll have to drop you off early since I'm starting my new job," she said seeing him nod again this time giving her a small smile back.

"Where?" Korra asked abruptly out of curiosity.

"Baatar's Cyber Security Company," Asami answered.

Korra listened and nodded in response. "Cool, what are you gonna be doing there exactly?"

Asami didn't really want to think about it considering whom she'd be working under. "Customer Service. I'm sure as soon as I get there I'll go through orientation before doing any actual work," she assumed from the experience she had at her own fathers company a few years ago. "Speaking of which," she said remembering the paper work she had to return tomorrow. She stood up and walked into her bedroom.

Boxes were stacked up neatly in the corner by the end of the bed. Asami looked around but didn't spot her satchel. She came back into the living room minutes later. "Hey did you see a brown satchel when bringing everything up?" Asami asked Korra.

Korra thought on it and shook her head no. "I don't remember a satchel."

Asami started to panic at the thought of losing it. "Roh did you see my brown satchel in the van anywhere?" she asked her son wondering if she left it in her car.

"I didn't see it there," Iroh answered as he poured himself a glass of cherry pomegranate juice.

Asami sighed and took her phone out of her pocket. She dialed Bolin's number and waited for him to answer only to hear his voice mail. "Okay.." she said to herself as she began to text him. Looking at the time on her phone, Asami knew she had to get it before it got to late. "Korra," she said quickly gaining her attention. "Could you stay here with Iroh until I come back? I just need to get my satchel. Its either in the house or the storage unit and I really need it for work tomorrow," she asked with a hint of depression.

Korra was surprised Asami asked her to watch her son. After what happened at Bolin's house, Korra was sure she diminished any kind of trust Asami may have still had. She felt like she was given another chance and wasn't going to mess it up. "Sure," she said with a serious expression.

"Thank you," Asami said to Korra before turning to Iroh. She could see the concerned look on his face. "Do you want me to pick you up something to eat?"

Iroh shook his head no, "don't have an appetite."

It had been like that for the past couple of days. Iroh would eat only one meal out of the day and drink here and there but that was it. "At least eat an orange before turning in," she asked placing a hand on his shoulder.

The last thing Iroh wanted to do was worry his mother with all that was going on. "I will," he said mustering up a small genuine smile.

Asami kissed his forehead and returned the same smile. "That's my boy," she said before looking over at Korra. "I'll be back soon. Do you want anything while I'm out?"

"No I'm good," Korra said not wanting to add any more to her plate.

Asami smiled softly and nodded, "alright," she said turning back to Iroh. She leaned down to Iroh's height and kissed him on his forehead again. "I'll be back to see you off to sleep okay," she said brushing a strain of his hair back in place.

Iroh gave her a nod and said, "okay."

Asami stood up and walked over grabbing her jacket off the hook. She placed it on and opened up the door, "call me if you need anything," she said to Iroh then looked to Korra mouthing 'thank you.'

Korra watched as Asami left closing the door behind her and locking it. Iroh turned to face Korra with an intrigued expression. She smiled at him and gestured at the book he still had in his hand. "Do you understand the premise of the book now?"

Iroh looked to where Korra had pointed and held the book up to his view. "Sort of," he said making his way over to the couch. He took a seat next to Korra and held the book out for her to see as well. "The little fire bender is happy to be off on his own. On a new adventure, meeting new people, seeing the world but what he really wants is to be home," he said looking back at Korra. He still had a confused expression on his face. "It makes no sense," he commented.

Korra looked to Iroh and then to the book. "What's confusing about it?"

"If he's happy else where why would he want to go back home?" Iroh said looking back at the book.

"Maybe he misses it," Korra said from experience. It was the question she had been asking her self since she hopped on the train to Republic City.

Iroh shook his head as if he received the wrong answer. "Then why wait so long to go back home?"

Korra couldn't help but start to notice the parallel's this book had to her current situation. "Maybe... he wasn't sure he'd be accepted after being gone so long," she said lowly.

"Hmm... maybe," Iroh said looking back at Korra.

"Was he?" Korra asked with Iroh looking at her puzzled. "Accepted?" Understanding what she meant, Iroh nodded his head yes. Korra smiled to herself and asked, "what'd you think of the book?"

Iroh thought on it and shook his head, "not sure.. still processing it."

"Alright," Korra said watching him stand to his feet. He walked over to the table taking an orange out of the fruit bowl then made a b-line for his room. "Good night..." Korra said with a smile.

"Thanks," Iroh said walking down the hall and entering his room.

Korra chuckled at his reply. She knew she would get through to him eventually.

* * *

Asami came home later than expected. It was 12: 17 a.m. when she got back. Opening up the front door, Asami could see Korra laying across her couch asleep. She closed the door gently and locked it again. She walked up to Korra and tapped her lightly on the shoulder not to disturb her.

Korra woke up a few seconds later with a yawn escaping her lips. She opened her eyes and saw Asami standing over her. "What time is it?" she asked only to press the side of her watch seeing. "Shit.." she said to herself.

"Sorry..." Asami apologized. She handed Korra a brown paper bag when she sat up. "I got you something."

Korra raised a brow looking at the bag suspiciously before taking it in her hand. "Thanks," she said now getting a whiff of it. She opened it and saw a double cheese burger and some fries.

Asami took off her jacket and placed it back on the hook, "no problem. How was Iroh?" she asked hoping he was asleep by now.

Korra took a bite out of her fries and pointed toward the hallway. "He's good. When straight to bed ten minutes after you left."

Asami looked down the hall as if he was going to come out of his room. "Hmm. I'll be back," she said heading down the hall to check on him. She slowly opened his door and took a peak inside.

Iroh was asleep with his back facing the door. She came inside and saw he had the book still in his hand. She gently took it out of his grasp and placed it on the side dresser. She leaned down and kissed the top of his head. "Goodnight Roh," she whispered with a smile.

Asami came back into the living room moments later spotting Korra biting into her burger with fries stuffed between the patties.

"You find your satchel?" Korra asked mouth full of food. She didn't see her bring it inside and wasn't sure if she found it or not.

"Yeah it was in storage for some reason. I made a bit of a mess looking for it after Tu and Bo had everything stacked so nicely," Asami mention feeling bad for asking them to move everything again when they were so close to being done.

Korra chuckled highly amused at what Bolin had to go through. "At least you found it," she said with a smirk.

"Yeah..." Asami agreed with a nod.

"So did Bolin say when he was gonna pick me up?" Korra asked taking another bite of her burger.

Asami almost forgot and shook her head, "he's not. I told him that I'd drop you off in the morning. I hope that's okay," she asked going into the kitchen. She opened up the fridge and took out another water bottle, "it's already late so you can stay here. I see you already made yourself comfortable," she gestured to the couch with a small smile. She took a sip of water and placed the bottle back into the fridge.

Korra didn't mind watching the kid for a few hours but never expected to stay the night. "Yeah I just don't want to crowd your space you know," she said licking the ketchup off the corner of her mouth.

"Your not," Asami replied with a smile. "Eat up," she said pointing an index finger at Korra. "Because tomorrow where leaving here at 7 a.m sharp."

Korra smirked at Asami's authoritative gesture. She wasn't sure if it was because she called her 'boss lady' earlier or because she pressured her to eat the other day. Either way, Korra thought it was adorable. She shook her head trying to erase that thought from her mind. "7 it is. Thanks," she said raising up her burger toward Asami.

"Your welcome. Goodnight Korra," Asami said before heading down the hall to her own bedroom.

"Goodnight Asami," Korra said watching her walk down the hall. She bite her bottom lip and slapped the side of her cheek. "Stop.." she said to herself. She didn't want to think of Asami that way. "You're pass this. You're over it," she reminded herself. "You're over it.." she repeated as she finished off her burger. Korra placed the empty wrapper back into the brown paper bag. She got comfortable on the couch again and closed her eyes to sleep.

After a few minutes, Korra woke up feeling a blanket being placed over her body. She looked over to the side and saw Asami turning around to pick up the empty paper bag of food to throw it away. Asami's ass was in her face so she turned her head to the side to avoid it. She took a slow deep breath and closed her eyes. She then felt the lights turn out only to hear a door close. Opening her eyes again, Korra placed her hand behind her head with a chuckle. "I'm not over it..." she mumbled to herself with a worried expression.


	4. New Job

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asami's first day on the job doesn't go as planned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors Note: Hey guys. So I finally got around to mapping out this story. So far so good still need to make some adjustments but this will be a fun thing to write and hopefully a fun thing for you guys to read. Anyway, enjoy the chapter. Later Gladiators.

Asami was sitting on her bed going over her paper work. She made sure everything was filled out correctly. It had been a few years since she had a job. Even with her credentials she still felt this enormous pressure to succeed. A light knock on the door made her jump slightly. "Yes?" she softly said.

"Mom? I'm finished," Iroh said waiting for an answer. Hearing an 'okay', Iroh walked back into his room. He sat on his now made up bed and looked out his window. He turned and reached under his pillow taking out his fathers medal. Rubbing his thumb across the design on it, Iroh thought about the last time he saw his father.

_Iroh walked out of the house and saw his son sitting on the porch. He stepped down and saw the look on his son's face. "Hey hey hey whats this?" he said bending down to his son's view. He could see the tears threatening to fall down his cheeks._

_"You're leaving again..." Iroh III mumbled out. His father was on leave for less than two days and already had to go back._

_Iroh stood up straight with a heavy sigh, "yeah..." he said taking a seat next to his son. "Have too.." he uttered lowly._

_"Why..." the eight year old questioned._

_Iroh looked across the street thinking on an appropriate answer to give his son, "Sometimes in life you have to go and do things you don't necessarily wanna do but you have too," he said looking back at his son. He placed a hand on his back and rubbed it softly. "You're too young to understand it now but when you get older you will."_

_Iroh III shook his head and looked up at his father with a frown. "I understand. You don't want to be here," he said getting up in a huff ready to run off._

_"Hey!" Iroh shouted pulling the young boy back by his arm. He grabbed the sides of his son's shoulders and held him in place. "Is that what you think? That I don't want to be here? That I don't want to be with you and your mother?" he asked feeling the pain that was in his son's eyes. "Because I do. More than anything," he said taking deep breaths as he looked back at the spitting image of himself. "I'm always here. Even when I'm not present I am here with you," he said pointing at his son's heart. "Always," he said pulling his son into a tight hug. He could feel his shirt getting wet, hearing sniffles coming from his son. He pulled back to get a good look at his son's face. Wiping the tears from his son's cheeks, Iroh smiled at him, "remember what I said. Róngyùs don't cry," he said pulling him back into another hug wanting to cry himself. He held back with all his might spotting Asami watching from the window with disappointment written all over her face._

Iroh stared at the piece of medal and said, "Róngyùs don't cry," before sliding it back underneath his pillow with a sigh.

Asami placed her papers in a black folder and put it inside of her brown satchel. She came out of her room and up to Iroh's door knocking on it. "We're leaving in 30 minutes okay," she said hearing his muffled 'okay' through the door. She walked into the living room seeing Korra sleeping soundly. She placed her satchel down and came over to her friend. "Korra..." she said lightly shaking her on her shoulders.

Korra was out of it but woke up after feeling light sprinkles of water on her face. "Hmm?" she said cracking opening her eyes.

"Sorry... you wouldn't wake up," Asami said placing the water bottle down. She picked up a paper towel to wipe off her finger tips.

"Better than ice chips down my back," Korra stated recalling the measures Asami use to go too to wake her up.

Asami giggled at the thought of it. "That was one time," she said seeing Korra giving her a look. "Okay a few times," she said with a shrug. Korra looked at her watch seeing it was 6:41am. "Bathrooms free for you to use," she said placing a towel and wash cloth on the arm of the couch. "We're leaving 7 on the dot. So you got 18 minutes soldier," Asami playfully mocked with a smirk on her lips before heading into the small kitchen.

Korra watched her and shook her head with a smirk of her own. "Okay," she said taking the towel and heading into the bathroom. She came out less than ten minutes with the same clothes on. She walked into the living room seeing Iroh waiting on the couch as Asami handed him his lunch box.

"I was about to get you some clothes," Asami said pointing back to her bedroom.

Korra waved it off with her hand. "No its cool. I'll just change over at Bolin's before I head to the train station," she said since her belongings was still at his house.

Asami took note of that and gathered her things together. "So we're already to go?" she asked them both. Iroh gave a nod while Korra gave an ecstatic double thumbs up. She shook her head as she placed her jacket on and grabbed her satchel. "Let's go then," she said gesturing toward the front door. Korra grabbed her brace and followed behind the mother and son duo.

* * *

Asami drove to the school in less than 20 minutes. She parked out front and looked over at Iroh. "I'll pick you up around 5:30 okay," she said brushing his hair at the top of his head. "If you need anything you call me okay?"

Iroh looked over at his mom and mustered up a smile on his thin lips. "Okay," he answered before getting out of the car. He looked back at the van with a wave, "bye mom," he said pulling up his book bag with his other hand.

Asami waved back while Korra pulled open the van door from the back. "Later Kiddo," she said with the raise of her chin. Iroh looked at Korra confused before saying goodbye to her as well. Both women watched as he made his way up the stairs, "sweet kid," Korra said closing the door back shut.

"You know you can sit up front with me right?" Asami said looking back at Korra.

"And I don't even have to yell shot gun?" Korra commented. She stayed put for a few seconds before yelling. "Shot gun!"

Asami laughed as Korra made her way to the front and plopping down in the passenger seat. "You are such a child," she said with a giggle.

Korra shrugged her shoulders as she looked over at Asami. "Part of my charm."

"Well add a seat belt to your charm. We're not moving til you do," Asami said waiting.

"Geez! Your such a mom!" Korra said as if she was disgusted but they both laughed it off. She placed on her seat belt and felt the van start to move. "So you excited?"

Asami drove down the road heading toward Opal's house. "Excited for..." she drifted off hoping Korra could fill in the gaps.

"Work," Korra said straighten out her brace.

Asami wasn't sure how to answer, "hard to tell right now," she simply put.

Korra understood and looked out her window rubbing her knee. It was quiet. Not the uncomfortable quiet she had been expecting but a nice quiet. With no pressure but a hint of awkwardness that she could handle.

Asami pulled up to a red light and saw Korra rubbing her knee. It was the same leg with the brace on it. "What happen?" she asked without thinking.

Korra turned to her with a puzzled expression only to realize what she meant. "Oh this," she said pointing down at her knee. "Long story... but to shorten it I had pieces of shrapnel all through my leg.." she said straighten out her leg to be more comfortable.

Asami mouth opened at the news but quickly closed it once the light flashed green. "I'm sorry.." she said offering her sympathies.

"Don't be. Wasn't your fault," Korra said seeing they were close to the house.

"Does it hurt?" Asami curiously asked. She felt like it was a stupid question but had to ask.

Korra looked down at her leg and turned it slightly to get a good look at it. "Ever so often. Specially when I try to break dance," she joked to lighten the conversation.

Asami gave her a knowing look before glancing over at her leg. She could see how secure the brace was. "When did it happen?" she asked looking back at the road.

Korra thought on it and counted the years. "Three years ago. It will be four next year," she said looking back at Asami.

Asami wasn't sure what to say after that so kept quiet. Korra knew it was a conversation killer so kept quiet on the short drive to Bolin's house.

* * *

Asami pulled up to the house a few minutes later. She parked and cut the engine off. "You're really leaving this time?"

"Yeah," Korra responded with a nod. She felt her chest going heavy for some reason. That feeling she had all those years ago was starting to build up again.

Uncomfortable silence now started to fill the air until Asami spoke. "Be safe," she said with a smile.

Korra gave another nod with a small smile of her own. "Always," she said before getting out of the car.

Asami got out and met Korra on the side walk. She wrapped her arms around Korra's shoulders and held her in a hug.

Korra embraced her back. She found a sense of comfort being so close to her dear friend. One she'd hate to let go of but knew she had to. After a few seconds she did.

"Goodbye Korra," Asami said walking back around the van.

"Never goodbye!" Korra said loudly getting Asami's attention again. "Always later," she pointed at her friend with a smile.

Asami smiled back as she opened up her door and got into the drivers seat. She placed her seat belt on and looked over at Korra through the passenger side window. "Later," she said before driving down the street.

Korra watched Asami drive away with her heart sinking in the process. "Later."

* * *

Walking inside the cyber security building, Asami approached the front desk in a bundle of nerves. "Hi I'm Asami Róngyù. I'm here to see Kuvira Kinzoku."

"Fourth floor," the secretary directed without looking away from her computer screen.

"Thanks..." Asami said heading toward the elevator. The doors opened once she pressed the button. Walking inside, Asami pressed the button to the fourth floor and waited as the doors closed.

Another woman ran toward the elevator with Asami opening it back up. "Thanks," the woman said trying to catch her breath. "I'm Fae Unmei," she said extending her hand to Asami.

Asami took her hand and shook it. "Asami Róngyù."

Fae had a surprised look form on her face at the sound of her name. "Maiden name Sato? Holy Spirits its you," she said with a bright smile. When Asami looked confused, Fae continued, "I was assigned to give you a tour around the place," she mention right as the doors opened.

Both women exited the elevator and lead into an area full of cubicles. The tour took about ten minutes flat. Work space, restrooms, break room, and the boss' office was about it with minor details added.

"And here is your cubical. Orientation will start in 5 minutes so you can get settled til then," Fae said leaving Asami to get comfortable in her cubical.

Asami thanked her and sat down in a chair. She turned around in it and noticed the stack of manuals by her computer. She took her jacket off and placed it behind her chair.

Looking around the office, Asami could see people were already working. She turned her back to the opening of her cubical and took out her phone. She scrolled through her gallery and found a picture of her son when he was five. He looked so happy then with his two front teeth missing. "We'll get through this... I know we will," she said as if to reassure herself.

* * *

"I'm sorry I won't be able to take you to the train station this afternoon," Opal said placing a stack of pull ups into a bag.

Korra waved it off with a smile, "its okay I'll catch a cab," she said taking a seat on the couch. "Plus you and Bo have done so much for me already. I appreciate you letting me crash here," she said glancing around the room.

Opal walked over to the playpen and picked up San. "Its no problem. Anytime you're in the city you have a place to stay," she said sniffing the back of his pants. She sat him down and grabbed up Su sniffing her in the same way. "Found the culprit," Opal said as Sulin giggled. "Who made a stinky. My girl made a stinky yes she did," she said walking back to the couch and placing Sulin down.

"Man that's worst than a stink bomb," Korra said watching as Opal changed her baby girl.

Opal snickered with the shake of her head, "oh its much worse when its both of them at the same time," she said putting another pull up on Su.

"Kori!" San shouted from the playpen.

Korra looked over at the playpen spotting San raising his hands up. "Korra," she corrected as if he understood. She got up and walked over to the playpen picking him up. "What do you want little terror?"

San tugged on the side of Korra's jacket, "Kori go bye bye," he said knowing she was leaving.

"Yep Kor-rah! go bye bye. Say Korra," She corrected again.

"Kori." San repeated.

Korra turned to face Opal once she had Sulin dressed, "I think he's doing it on purpose," she said seeing little Su looking at her. "Can you say Korra?" Su giggled and reached for her. "Guess not."

"You gotta give them some time," Opal said coming up to Korra and placing Su in her other arm and grabbing San from her. "And yes he is doing it on purpose," she said placing him down on the couch to wipe the food from the corners of his mouth. "He calls Mako. Mama when he knows its Uncle Mako."

"Uncle Mama!" San shouted with a giggle.

Opal shook her head knowing how her twins can be. "I just hope they don't show off when they see their great grandma," she said putting San's jacket on.

Korra grabbed Su's jacket and started to put it on her. "How is Nana Toph?" she asked knowing her health wasn't in the best condition at the moment.

"Cranky.. throwing fits with the orderlies so normal for the most part," Opal said thinking on it. She knew her mother couldn't come every week since she was all the way in Zaofu. The least she could do was give her mother an update with her own eyes on her grandmother. "But she still has a lot of medical problems she avoided for a long time. Now its catching up to her," she said remembering how independent her Nana was.

"I'm sorry," Korra said picking up Sulin again.

Opal put on her jacket and picked up the bag placing it on her shoulder. "Come on," she said picking San up again and walking to the front door. Korra followed her out the door and helped her put the kids in their car seats.

Opal went back inside of the house and grabbed another bag with their food and placed it in the passenger seat. She came back around the car where Korra was standing. "Here," she said handing her a single key. "You can just place it through the mail slot after you lock up."

Korra held the key in her hand and eyed it before looking back at Opal. "You don't do the whole 'key under the rock thing?'" she asked with a laugh.

"To risky with these two in the house," Opal said walking back around the van to get in the drivers seat.

"Alright," Korra said placing the key in her pocket. "Bye guys! Be good for mom!" she said closing the side door as both said 'bye Kori'.

Opal backed the van out slowly from the drive way and stopped short waving to Korra.

Korra waved back and watched as Opal left with the kids. She walked back inside of the house to finish packing her belongings.

* * *

Iroh heard the bell ring and left the classroom with the rest of the students. He got to his locker in less than 2 minutes. He opened it up and placed his earth science book inside and grabbed his four nations history book and placed it inside of his bookbag.

"Hi Iroh," a girl called out.

Looking up from his book bag, Iroh saw his classmate Mya. "H-Hi Mya," he greeted her back.

Mya smiled and stood next to him, "I was wondering if you'd like to sit at my table during lunch.. that's if you want too," she asked a bit nervous herself.

Iroh was surprised by the invite and nodded his head before actually responding. "Sure. Yes that would be great."

"Great! I'll see you then!" she said grabbing his forearm in a light squeeze before letting go and walking down the hall.

He watched as she walked away feeling a small smile creep on his own lips. It disappeared once his locker slammed shut.

"Hey Róngyù. What were you and Mya talking about?" a boy half Iroh's sized ask. Hundan was his name. Bullying was his game. A fifth grader with a bad rep, attitude and breath to match.

Iroh stood there quietly trying to regain his composure after being scared out of his skin. "N-Nothing."

"N-n-n-n shut up!" Hundan said shoving Iroh in the shoulder. The principal was rounding the corner which Hundan caught out of the corner of his eye. "I'll see you later Róngyù," he said shoving Iroh out of his way and into the lockers.

Iroh's back hit the metal pretty hard getting people's attention.

The principal walked up to him not noticing Hundan slipping pass him. "Iroh are you okay?" he asked concerned.

Iroh took deep breaths to calm himself down. "Yes," he lied. He knew if he told the truth about Hundan that he wouldn't leave him alone.

"Are you sure?" the man asked again. He could tell something was off.

Iroh stood up straight and fixed the collar to his jacket. "Yes Principal Gyatso," he said picking up his book bag and walking down the hall to his next class.

* * *

Asami was working the phones and going by the manual for the past couple of hours. The job was pretty easy compared to the one she had at her fathers company. Even if it wasn't much of a challenge, she was grateful for the opportunity.

A loud whistle got everyone's attention in the office. Asami looked up from her cubical like everyone else seeing their boss Kuvira who strolled in late. Once they made eye contact, Asami saw Kuvira waving her over to come into her office.

Kuvira walked in and plopped down in her seat. Asami came in a few seconds later. "Close the door. Have a seat," she said turning on her computer. Asami did as she was told and took a seat once the door was closed. "You know despite our history I'm glad you're here," she said looking Asami's way for a brief moment.

Asami wasn't sure if that was true or not and chose not to respond. She took a black folder out of her brown satchel and placed it on Kuvira's desk. "Baatar told me to give these to you," she said sliding the folder over to Kuvira.

Kuvira looked at the folder and took it in her hands. "First name basis," she commented as she opened up the folder. Asami cringed a bit knowing how Kuvira was about Baatar and her very possessive ways. Kuvira looked up from the folder and snickered, "I'm joking! I know you both have that whole prodigy of the family bonding shit going on," she said with a not so friendly smile. It was more creepy than anything as far as Asami was concerned.

"Anyway! I know I've accused you of a lot of things even attacked you last new years but I wanna put that behind us. Start fresh. What do you say?" Kuvira said genuinely.

Asami didn't trust a word that came out of that psychos mouth but agreed. "I'd like that."

"Good so before we start. I'd like to make something clear," Kuvira said as she turned to her computer pulling up Asami's file. "I'd like our relationship to be professional in the office at all times. So no Kuvira this. Kuvira that. Just strictly Kinzoku," she explained skimming Asami's credentials. "Outside? Who gives a flying ferret feces," Kuvira said making eye contact with Asami again. "Call me whatever you want. Hell you deserve it after I threw that wine bottle at you."

"You didn't throw a wine bottle at me," Asami said with concern in her voice.

Kuvira looked at her confused and shrugged her shoulders. "Well I threw it at somebody. Point is we are starting fresh," she said leaning back in her seat. She placed her feet up at the end of her desk and took out her tablet."I know this is all just a trial period for you but I don't want those dipsticks out there to know," she said starting to play angry hawks. "Thinking you're getting special treatment because your friends with the boss," she said with a chuckle. "So again it goes back to being professional. DIE MOTHERFUCKER!" she said making one of her hawks attack a field mouse in the game. "You understand?" Kuvira said pausing the game and looking back up at Asami.

"Yes," Asami said quickly wanting to get out of there.

Kuvira stared at her for a few seconds with a confused expression. "Alright," she said unpausing her game and getting back to it.

Asami sat there for a few minutes hearing screeching and cries from the game Kuvira was playing. "Can I go now?" she asked unsure if their conversation was over.

"Of course!" Kuvira said pausing her game again. She pointed at Asami giving her a certain look, "remember professional not personal."

"Gotcha," Asami said with a nod before standing up and leaving the office. She closed the door and walked back to her cubical. She sat down and took a deep breath after such an awkward encounter.

A guy in the cubical next to her stood up and leaned against the thin wall. "She can be a bit weird at times but you get use to it," he commented.

Asami turned around in her chair and nodded, "yeah I know."

"Lee Chan," he said extending his hand to introduce himself.

"Asami Róngyù," she said taking his hand and shaking it.

Lee let go of her hand and flashed a smile. "You'll do fine here."

Asami squinted her eyes at his assumption. "How do you know?"

"Mmm.. a feeling," he said before sinking back down into his cubical.

Asami chuckled lightly and turned back around to her desk.

* * *

Iroh came into the dining hall around noon. He walked around with his lunch box in hand.

"There he is!" Mya said waving Iroh over to her table.

Iroh could see Mya in the distance and smiled. He began to walk up to her table until he saw Hundan standing a few feet away at another table.

Hundan gave Iroh a slit throat gesture with his thumb as a warning not to proceed.

Iroh stopped in his tracks looking from Hundan back to Mya. He wanted to sit next to his friend but knew if he did that would cause trouble. He gulped and walked to an empty table. He sat down with his back toward Mya's table.

Mya watched as Iroh ignored her. She lowered her hand in disappointment as her friends continued to talk.

Iroh opened the box and began to eat his lunch by himself for the millionth time. He could hear Hundan and his friends laughing not too far away. The shame of it all was making him lose his appetite.

* * *

Asami saw it was close to 5 o'clock at the bottom of her computer screen. People were already gathering their things from their desk and break room.

Kuvira came out of her office and cleared her throat. "Hey I need everyone's attention!" she said holding her hand in the air. "Looks like we're gonna be here for a few more hours," she said hearing a bunch of groans. "I know I know but you'll all have to sit tight until this Varrick situation is sorted out," she said heading back into her office.

"Varrick?" Asami questioned.

Lee popped up again from his cubical to answer her question. "Yeah one of our biggest clients and tools I've ever met. He runs a game software company and lately its been crashing like crazy," he explained looking around the office to see if anyone was going to sneak off like last time.

Fae's cubical was across from Asami's as she chimed in. "Ever since Miss Moon quit its been happening a lot. Not that I'm complaining. Its more money in our pockets but when you have a tech legend at your side you don't take that for granted," she said fiddling with her phone.

Asami understood the situation but needed to leave soon to pick up her son. "I gotta go," she said getting up and walking to Kuvira's office. She knocked on the door and waited for a response. Getting one, Asami walked inside, "sorry to interrupt like this," she said closing the door behind her.

"What can I do for you?" Kuvira asked glancing from her computer over to Asami.

Asami approached Kuvira's desk with caution. She took a deep breath and said, "I need to leave soon to pick up my son from school."

Kuvira sat back in her chair a bit dumbfounded before speaking. "I don't want you to take this the wrong way but you can't," she said bluntly. "Remember that conversation we had early about special treatment. If I let you go now. Everyone would want to go. Now does that sound fair?" she asked waiting for an answer.

Asami sighed knowing this was a bad idea but had to push on it. "No it does not but I need to pick up my son."

"I get that. I do. Again you can't," Kuvira repeated. "Let me give you an example. An employee... Jones was it?" she tried to recall. "Wanted to leave because his wife was in labor. Labor! Ha!" she laughed. "Can you believe it? Nerve of that guy."

"I understand but I have no one to pick up my son," Asami said not wanting to go over her head to Baatar.

Kuvira rubbed the back of her neck a bit annoyed with how this conversation was going. "If you want this job you have to prove it," she explained. "A lot of those dipsticks out there don't have the same problems you do. They come to work. They stay as late as they can. Some over 12 hours because they take this job seriously. They put in work. You need to do the same. Stay until you're no longer needed. That's it," she said leaving it as that.

Asami was fuming from the inside but nodded in agreement. "Alright," she said ready to exit the office.

"Wait.." Kuvira said holding her hand up. She sat up and grabbed her office phone handing it to Asami. "Go ahead call who you need too so your son won't be stranded. Dial 9 first," she said with a smile.

Asami looked at the phone and back at Kuvira. "I'm good," she said before leaving the office.

Kuvira shrugged her shoulders and said, "suit yourself."

Asami walked back to her cubical and sat down in a huff. She took out her cell phone and dialed Bolin's number. She listen for a few minutes only getting his voicemail. She tried him again but no answer. "Shit.." she said calling Opal's cell phone next. No answer again. She then tried her house phone next.

* * *

Korra heard a car honking outside and knew it was her cab. She stood up and grabbed her tactical backpack and duffel bag. She heard the house phone going off and figured it was nothing. She opened up the front door and sat her duffel bag down. She waved to the cabbie and started to pat her pants for the house key.

Before she found it, the voicemail when off. "Hey its Asami. Sorry to call you guys like this but I have no one to pick up Iroh from school."

Korra shot her head over to the machine when she heard Asami's voice.

"My boss won't let me leave and I'm running out of options. When you get this please call me ba-"

"Hello?" Korra said practically diving for the phone trying to answer it.

"Korra?" Asami said surprised she was still there.

Korra stood up and brushed off her pants. "Yeah its me. Everything alright?"

"No my boss is keeping me hostage and I have no one to pick up Iroh," she said turning around in her chair hoping her conversation was private. Asami took a deep breath scared to ask but did, "look I know you're getting ready to leave... but I really need someone to pick him up," she said trying to ask. "Do you think you can?"

Shocked by her question, Korra stood there zoning out a bit. "A..." she said only to hear the cab honk its horn again. "Yeah.. yeah. I'll be there to pick the little guy up," she said gesturing for the cabbie to wait.

Asami sighed in relief, "you are a life saver," she said with a smile. "I will be home as soon as I can. Thank you so much."

"Alright. Your welcome. Later," Korra said before hanging up. "Shiiit," she said walking back toward the door and gathering her things. She closed the front door locking it up and walked up to the cab. She got inside and sat her duffel bag across from her and leaned forward toward the driver. "United Republic Academy please," she said giving directions. She pulled her backpack off and looked at the time on her watch. There was no way she was going to get the kid home and get to the train station in less than 25 minutes.

* * *

Iroh was close to the main entrance of the building when his emergency phone went off. He took it out of his pocket and saw a text message from his mother. It read: _Sorry Roh wont b able 2 pick u up. Stuck at work. Don't worry Korra will. Wait 4 her in the main office._ He sighed in disappointment and walked back toward the main office.

The cab pulled up to the front of the school. Korra paid the guy and got out of the car. Before he could leave, Korra came up to the passengers side. "Hey I'm a just be in and out so can you wait here for a few minutes, five tops?" she asked with the guy giving her a nod in response. "Thanks," she said grabbing her duffel off the ground and slinging her backpack back on her shoulder.

Walking inside of the school, Korra looked around feeling nostalgic. "Whoa..." she said seeing how different the school had become. The colors and atmosphere stayed the same but it had evolved into something completely different. _Ms. J_ _īngshén_ _!_ Well not that different.

Korra turned around after hearing her name being called. "Principal Gyatso. Hello..." she greeted reluctantly.

"When Mrs. Róngyù called and said you were picking up Iroh, I must admit I thought I miss heard the name given but here you are," he said in an optimistic tone of voice. Principal Tenzin Gyatso. A 6 foot 4 bald walking bore with a good heart and long robes that look like he could soar. "Its good seeing you again," he said placing a heavy hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks..." Korra said wanting out of this conversation. She knew how Principal Gyatso could drag a conversation out. He often put kids to sleep over the morning announcements when she attended school here. She wouldn't be surprised if it still occurred. "Well I got a cab waiting out front for us so..."

Tenzin removed his hand from her shoulder and gave a nod. "Right. Well follow me," he said walking a head of her to lead her to the main office. He looked over his shoulder with a light chuckle. "In case you forgot where it is," he said amused at how many times Korra was sent there during her time as a student.

Korra shook her head with a sigh. "Like I could forget."

It didn't take long for them to get there. Tenzin opened the door allowing Korra to walk in first. She rounded the secretaries desk and saw Iroh sitting in the waiting area. "Hey kid ready to roll?" she said pointing her thumb at the door.

Iroh looked at her with a displeased expression and stood up from his chair.

Korra moved out of his way and followed him through the door. "I got a cab waiting outside for us."

"Ms. Jīngshén," Tenzin said again.

Before the door could close, Korra put her foot back in to stop it. "Yeah?" she asked a bit puzzled.

He pointed at the clipboard on the front desk. "You need to sign out before you go."

Korra would have face palmed herself if her hands weren't full. "Right," she said coming back inside.

* * *

"Wait up!" Korra said lightly jogging down the steps. Iroh waited on the curb for her. She came up to him and looked around not spotting the cab. "You gotta be kidding me," she said still looking around. "He was here a minute ago."

"I thought you were leaving?" Iroh said still baffled as to why she was here.

Korra looked down at him and shrugged, "change in plans," she said thinking on how she was gonna get him home. "How about..." she said spotting a bus stop. "We take the bus," she suggested pointing in its direction.

Iroh gave her a questionable look in response before saying. "The bus?"

"Yeah. Come on," she said walking down the end of the street toward the bus stop.

The bus pulled up a few minutes later. Korra let Iroh go out ahead of her. "Find us a seat," she said sitting her duffel bag down. She took out her wallet and paid with a boat load of change she wanted to get rid of.

Iroh found a double seat near the front and sat by the window. Korra picked up her bag and placed it down near the aisle seat next to him. She took off her backpack and sat it on her lap.

"Where are the seat belts?" Iroh asked looking behind him.

"There are none," Korra replied. She chuckled at the look on his face. "First time on the bus huh?"

Iroh frown a bit but it quickly dissolved at her question. "Yeah," he answered sitting back feeling his feet dangle.

Korra smiled with a nod. "You'll get use to it."

After a comfortable silence, Korra looked out the window and back at Iroh. "I know you're pretty bummed out that your mom couldn't pick you up," she said getting his attention. "But she'll make it up to you."

Iroh stared at Korra but didn't respond. Instead, he looked back out the window not recognizing the area. "Do you know where we're going?" he asked seeing they were further downtown than up.

Korra looked out the window again this time actually reading a street sign. "Nope," she said turning around and looking at the other patrons on the bus. "Excuse me," she said asking the woman sitting across from her. "Do you know if this bus is heading toward Dragon Flats Borough?"

The woman shook her head no and said, "its heading downtown near central station. You'll want to take the bus across the street to get to dragon flats," she said pointing on the other side of the street.

"Thanks," Korra said to the woman as the bus started to move again. Korra turned back to Iroh, "so... when the bus stops again we're gonna get off and go across the street and take that one okay?" she said knowing he was already annoyed.

"Sure," Iroh said still looking out the window.

An elderly woman started to walk toward them. Korra spotted her and picked up her duffel bag from the floor. She placed her tactical backpack on her shoulder and grabbed a handle above her head. "You can sit here ma'am," she offered nodding her head to the seat next to Iroh.

Iroh looked at the older woman than back at Korra confused.

The woman was grateful and started to thank Korra until she saw the brace on her leg. "Oh I can't. Your leg," she gestured with her index finger.

"Its as stubborn as I am ma'am so please have a seat," Korra gestured again. The woman thanked her and took a seat right beside Iroh.

Iroh made eye contact with the elderly woman and said hello as she greeted him. He looked to Korra who was pulling her backpack up on her shoulder with one hand while holding on to a handle with the other. Her duffel bag snug between her legs not able to escape.

Korra looked back down at him with a smirk on her lips. He was starting to smile back but looked away and back out the window.

* * *

The duo got off at the next stop and headed across the street. Korra saw a guy leaning up against the ad sign listening to music. She came up to him and waved to get his attention. "Excuse me," she said just as he pulled out an ear bud. "Do you know which bus stops at Dragon Flats?"

"Number 15 but it hasn't come yet," He gestured to the road up ahead.

"Thanks," Korra said with a nod. Iroh sat down on a near by bench with Korra sitting next to him. "You hungry?"

Iroh looked to Korra shaking his head no. The thought of food reminded him of eating lunch alone again. He felt bad for not sitting with Mya but had no other choice. Korra could tell something was wrong but wasn't sure how to address it. Before she could ask anything he said, "I just wanna go home," while swaying his feet back and forth.

Korra looked across the street and back at Iroh. "I'll get you there," she said placing a hand on his shoulder. The bus showed up a few minutes later with them getting on to head home.

* * *

Finally arriving home, Iroh opened the door with the key his mom gave him this morning.

Korra came inside after him and placed her bags down by the side of the couch. "You need some help with homework or anything?" she asked taking a seat on the couch.

"No," Iroh replied after locking the door. He began to head toward his room but stopped in his tracks. He turned back around to face Korra again. "Thanks... for getting me home."

Korra raised a brow in surprised and showed a small smile. "You're welcome."

Iroh nodded and walked down the hall to his room.

Korra heard the door close a few seconds later and sighed with a smile. "Progress..."

* * *

Asami came home 5 hours later. She stayed in the office for almost 15 hours for nothing. She wasn't needed at all. The problem was fixed with in a half an hour but no one informed any of the staff until later. She would quit on the spot if she didn't need this job.

Opening the front door, Asami saw Korra sitting on the couch. "Hey," she greeted with a bag of containers in her hand. "Bought some food in case you both were hungry. How'd it go?"

"We got a little lost on the way over here but we're still in tact so... as good as can get," Korra replied with a tired expression.

Asami walked in the kitchen and placed the bags down on the counter. "How was Iroh?" she asked wondering if he was alright.

Korra thought on it and looked toward the hall, "fine not really hungry," she said looking back at Asami with concern.

"Thank you again for picking him up," Asami said taking off her jacket and placing it on a hook.

"No problem..." Korra said rubbing the back of her neck.

Asami came over to Korra and handed her a container of food, "sorry again for causing you to miss your train," she said sincerely. "I'll pay for your next one."

Korra took the container and opened it up getting a whiff of the food. "Its alright. As many trains as I've missed recently I wonder if I should even get on it," she said picking up a plastic fork and pushing her food around with it.

"Funny you should say that... because there's something I want to ask you," Asami said with a worried look on her face.

Korra looked up at her with a cautious expression. "What is it?"

"Its nothing bad," Asami said taking a seat next to Korra. She looked at her friend with a serious expression and took a deep breath before continuing. "I don't know how my schedule is gonna pan out just yet. After what happen today, I don't want Iroh waiting around for me to pick him up never to show so..." she said scared to go on. "I was thinking and it was just a thought. That maybe... you could?" she said squinting her eye a bit as if to flinch.

Korra plastic fork dropped out of her hand and into the container from what Asami was asking.

The look on Korra's face made Asami start to panic. She knew it was an overbearing thing to ask so she started to talk a lot faster than she should. "I was considering letting him stay at school but its so late in the semester they wouldn't have a place for him. I would have asked Opal but with her nana sick it was just to much to ask so... you're my last hope," she said finally catching her breath. "I know this is a lot on such short notice and I understand if you can't-" she said being cut off by Korra before she could continue.

"I'll do it," Korra replied.

Asami was surprised by such a quick answer. "Are you sure? You don't want to think about it a little longer or anything?"

"Yeah I'm sure," Korra said without hesitation. She knew Asami needed help with everything that was going on. It was too much too soon for either her or her son to process. If Korra could help to ease that just a little she would.

Asami felt a wave of emotions rush over her all at once. She draped her arms over Korra's shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you... thank you so much," she said in a low tone of voice.

Korra rubbed Asami's back with her free hand and held the container in the other. "You're welcome."

They both pulled away a few seconds later. Asami wiped around her eyes and smiled at Korra. "I'm gonna check on Iroh," she said getting up from the couch.

Korra nodded and started to eat her lo mein. She then thought about the commitment she just made and wonder if it was the right move. "What am I doing?" she asked herself.

* * *

Asami knocked on Iroh's door and heard him say 'come in'. She opened the door and stepped inside. "Hey..." she said coming up to the side of his bed. "New book?" she asked pointing to the one in his hand.

"Yeah," Iroh answered putting it down.

Asami took a seat next to him and placed a hand on his knee. "Sorry for not showing up today," she said disappointed in herself. She knew how Iroh felt when she didn't pick him up. It was the same feeling he had when his father never showed up when he was suppose. Reason why she sent a text instead of calling. Hearing the sadness in his voice would have crushed her.

Iroh could see the distant look in his mothers eyes and placed his hand on top of hers. "Its okay. You'll be there tomorrow," he said to cheer her up. He didn't want her to feel bad because she missed one day.

"I'm not sure if I'll be able too..." Asami said ready for a blow up any minute now. "But Korra will."

Iroh removed his hand slowly and pushed himself back against his pillow. "But I want you to be there," he said understanding the situation but not accepting it.

Asami reached for his hand again, "I know," she said feeling him snatch it away. "I know how hard this is. Its hard for me too," she said with tears filling up in her eyes. "But its only temporary until I get things situated."

Iroh looked away from her. He was upset and didn't want to talk anymore but knew he had to give her an answer. "Okay."

Asami knew that was the best response she was going to receive after a long day. She stood up and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Bought you your favorite. Its in the kitchen whenever you're ready to eat," she said before walking toward the door. She stopped at the door and looked back at her son. "Please... give Korra a chance."

Iroh looked up at his mother with a blank stare. "I'll try."

"Thank you," she said before leaving his room.

* * *

Korra took her brace off and stretched her leg out when Asami came back into the room. "You told him?" Korra gestured toward the hall.

"Sure did," Asami said sitting back down next to Korra.

"He doesn't like me very much," Korra said with a chuckle.

Asami gave her a look and lightly nudged her arm against hers. "You'll grow on him," she said stealing one of the shrimps from Korra's lo mein.

Korra laughed and shook her head. "Like I did with you?"

Asami smirked and said, "some what," trying to steal another only for Korra to hold it out of her reach.

"Hey hey, you got your own. You know they're stingy with these things," Korra debated with a grin.

"True..." Asami said looking down at the floor. She stayed quiet for a few minutes before speaking again. "Thanks again for doing this..."

Korra noticed the change in tone and cleared her throat. "No problem."

Asami looked back at Korra with a soft expression, "no I mean it. I'm glad you're here," she said with a small smile.

Korra looked at her a bit stunned by her words. "A... yeah. Me too," she said looking away. She cleared her throat and tried to change the subject, "I'm a stop by Bolin's tomorrow see if they'll let me crash there a little longer," she said stuffing her mouth full of noodles.

"Nonsense. You can stay here with us," Asami offered.

"Nah don't want to put you guys out," Korra said chewing her food like a hippo-cow.

Asami placed her hand on Korra's forearm to get her attention. "You're not. Trust me," she said wondering if Korra was having second thoughts. "Is it the couch?" she asked placing her hand on the back of it. She felt around the cushions and began to bounce on it. "Because if it is you can have my bed."

Korra choked when she said bed and patted her chest hard with her fist. "No.." she said still a bit choked up. "No no the couch is fine," she insisted.

"Are you sure?" Asami said not convinced.

"Yeah," she replied feeling her heart beat faster. Korra sat the container down on the coffee table and sat back on the couch. "How was your first day at work?" she asked while wiping the corners of her mouth with a napkin.

Asami really didn't want to go off into a rant about it so she kept it simple. "Despite a few mishaps it was good," she said still containing the urge to rip off Kuvira's face.

Korra spotted how hard Asami was gripping her water bottle and figured not to push any further. "You'll pull through," she said with a smile.

"I hope so... I'm gonna get some rest," Asami said easing her grip. She stood to her feet and walked in the kitchen. Putting Iroh's food away, Asami came back into the living room. "Goodnight Korra."

"Goodnight Asami," Korra said with a nod watching her friend disappear down the hall.


	5. Day Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a week, Asami gets a day off. Korra meets up with some friends for lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors Note: Hey guys. Just wanted you all to know I haven't dropped Just Drive. I'm trying to finishing up the last two chapters and getting over being sick. So I hope you all enjoy this chapter for the time being. Thanks again for the patience. Later Gladiators.

Korra was asleep on the couch until the ringer from her temp phone went off. "What?" she said waking up a bit jumpy. Realizing where the noise came from, Korra reached down on the floor and pulled the cell phone from its charger. She read a text message from Bolin inviting her to lunch with the guys. Korra sent him one back with a: okay.

Slowly sitting up, Korra stretched out her arms hearing them crack. She felt a sharp pain in her leg and gripped at her knee cap. She grunted at the pain and looked around the floor for her duffel bag. Spotting it by the coffee table, Korra pulled it toward her and unzipped it. She took out her pill bottle, twisted the top off and popped two in her mouth. She took a quick swig from her water bottle she had last night to wash it down.

Asami finally had the day off after working 6 days straight. She wanted to make this day special for her son. Walking into the living room, Asami spotted Korra yawning with her eyes closed. "You're up early," she said with a smile while walking into the kitchen.

"Not by choice," Korra said smiling back. She stood up and followed Asami into the kitchen. "Bolin's text message woke me up," she said taking a seat on the bar stool. "You're up early for your day off," Korra mention with a raised brow and a smirk.

Asami was rummaging the fridge until she found a bag of blue berries. "Yeah I've been setting this up everyday on my lunch break," she said pouring the blue berries into a bowl. She got a bag of chocolate chips and pancake mix from the cabinet. She took out a bigger bowl and started to pour the mix in. "I got the whole day planned. I'm taking Roh to all his favorite places if we can squeeze them in. We're going to the museum of mechanics were they're giving a tour in the new aviation exhibit. Then to the Wan Shi Tong library to pick up a few books and on the way home we're going to stop by the Jasmine Dragon to pick up his favorite packages of tea," she said starting to prepare the batter.

Korra was popping blue berries into her mouth as Asami went on. "I feel bad for not being here for Iroh. This is the longest we've ever been apart," she said with a sorrowful expression. "His father would be gone for months on in and I don't want to put him through that again," she said while stirring pretty fast. _Not with me.._

Noticing her aggressive actions, Korra placed her hand on top of Asami's to calm her down. "You'll find the balance between work and home. Its just gonna take some time," she said letting her hand go.

Asami took a deep calming breath and gave Korra a nod. "You're right. That's why I'm glad you're here," she said pouring chocolate chips into the first batch. "If you weren't I don't know what I'd do," she said walking over to the stove and pouring the batter into a sizzling pan.

"Yeah..." Korra mumbled still not use to hearing that. With the clear of her throat, Korra quickly changed the subject. "So on your endless list of things to do. What didn't make the cut?" she asked curiously.

"You know scuba diving, wind sailing, fishing. Things of that nature," Asami said with a smirk since it was something Korra would do with her own father.

Korra tossed a chocolate chip over at Asami with a chuckle. "You forgot ice sculpting," she added with a smile.

Asami giggled as she flipped over one pancake. "You're more than welcome to join us on our little adventure."

"As boring as that sounds. I mean fun!" Korra quickly corrected as Asami darted a death glare her way. "I'll have to pass. Bolin invited me out to lunch with the guys so..." she drifted off without wanting to explain what shenanigans they could get into.

"Getting the Krew back together?" Asami asked placing one of Iroh's pancakes on a plate and starting on the other.

Korra gave her a look with a small nod. "Almost."

Asami came back to make another batch, "you want some blue berry pancakes?" she asked pouring more mix into the bowl.

"Nah. I'm gonna get ready to head out," Korra said tossing one more up in the air before catching it in her mouth.

"But they're your favorite," Asami said with a pout.

Korra chuckled with a smile, "I'm good for right now. Thanks anyway," she said getting down off the stool.

Asami looked at the time and saw how early it was. "You need a ride?"

Korra had went into her bag and took out a black shirt. "No Bolin is sending me a Goober to pick me up," she said looking back at Asami.

"You mean an Uber?" Asami questioned.

"Something like that," Korra said with a shrug. She gathered up her clothes and headed into the bathroom to get ready. "Call me if you need anything," she said before heading down the hall.

Asami placed Iroh's second pancake on a plate for him. "I will. Thanks."

* * *

Bolin was at a local coffee shop waiting for Korra. She walked in a few minutes later looking around. "Over here!" he waved.

Korra heard Bolin's voice and walked into the back of the crowded place. "Hey," she greeted taking a seat beside him. "So where are the other two stooges?" she asked with a grin.

"They'll be here soon. I'm surprised you're still in town," Bolin said in disbelief. It had to be a record for her.

"Yeah well I thought I'd stay for a couple more days. Take a trip down nostalgia lane while playing stop and stare by onerepublic on loop," Korra sarcastically put with a smirk.

Bolin raised a brow at her mini rant. "Really?" he questioned.

Korra shook her head, "no man," she said with a chuckle. "Asami had no one to pick up Iroh while she was at work so... I offered."

"You offered? To baby sit? You?" Bolin asked pointing at her surprised.

"Yeah me," Korra said shoving him playfully on his shoulder. Korra thought of a weird question. "Why do they call it baby sitting anyway?" she asked curiously. "I'm not sitting on a baby."

Bolin thought on her question and said, "you're sitting next to the baby," while gesturing to his side.

"Well technically Iroh's not a baby. He's a kid. So what? Its kid sitting?" Korra asked as if he had answers.

"Nooooo," Bolin dragged out. "Plus that word is too close to kidnapping," he said hoping people wouldn't misread their conversation.

Korra sat back stretching out her bad leg. "Good point," she said looking around to see if anyone was even bothering to listen. "What about Adult sitting? I wonder if that's a thing."

Bolin nearly choked on his cup of coffee of what came to mind. "Like a kinky sex thing or just a thing people do for money?" he asked wondering which one she was getting at.

"That still sounds like a sex thing either way but I meant for income," Korra said wondering if old people had sitters.

"Yeah why not. I'm sure a lot of people do adult sitting. Specially in nursing homes or have one of those creepy fetishes were they watch old people in the park," Bolin said getting a gross image in his head. "Ew..." he said shivering while placing his cup down. "I see what you did there. Trying to throw me off the topic of Asami," he said with a bright smile. "So you tell her yet?"

Korra looked at him as if he hit his head and was talking in tongues. "I think you're misreading the situation."

Bolin took a bite into his cookie. "I think you're avoiding an opportunity," he said dipping some of it into his coffee. "This is the perfect time for the both of you to finally make things official like you were suppose to ten years ago."

"Eleven," Korra corrected without thinking about it. She knew the exact date and time but the look on Bolin's face right now made her want to slap herself for saying it out loud. "Its not gonna happen!" she said shooting down the idea of it.

Bolin snickered to himself finding her frustration amusing. "I'm rooting for the both of you," he said with a smug grin.

Korra sighed heavily and spotted Mako and Tu coming into the coffee shop. "Well you're gonna be celebrating by yourself," she commented as the guys came up to their table.

"Hey," Mako greeted with a smile after giving Korra a small hug. Tu greeted her as well and gave her a side hug. "So what we miss?"

"Oh just Korra still denying her feelings for Asami," Bolin chimed in before she could speak up.

Korra slapped the side of Bolin's arm to get him to shut up. "That's not it at all," she said directing her attention to Mako. "I-I'm not here for that," Korra made clear putting her hands up in defense. "I'm just helping her out that's all."

Mako couldn't help but laugh at how flustered Korra was getting. "It's just like high school all over again," he said recalling when they met Korra and Asami. "You both were basically in a relationship without actually being in a relationship."

"What are you talking about?" Korra asked puzzled at his remark.

Bolin cleared his throat getting everyone's attention. "For starters. You would always hold her books and escort her from class to class."

Korra thought on it and shook her head no. "I only did that because she wasn't strong enough to carry those heavy ass text books by herself. I mean," she said gesturing to her bicep. She rolled up her sleeve and flexed it. "Come on? That's all you got?" she said making it seem as if they were exaggerating.

"You weren't even in some of her classes," Mako said with Tu snickering.

"I knew other people in her class. Plus mines were always boring as hell," Korra said making up her own excuse.

Mako sat up in his seat and leaned over on the table intensely thinking of a good one. "What about the times she would get hit on and you would automatically jump in and stop it."

Korra's mind went straight to the guy she threaten to kick down the bleachers for hitting on Asami. "We had a system. She would rub her neck or pull on her ear lope which was code for 'get this creep away from me'," Korra explained. It was true. Every girl she knew had some type of system in place to secure not only their safety but peace of mind for their day not to be ruined because some asshole wouldn't get the hint they weren't interested.

Tu understood what she meant but thought of one that would trip her up. "What about you rubbing her feet after cheer leading practice," he asked with a raised brow. "You hate feet," he pointed out.

Korra was about to speak but had no explanation for it. She felt them staring at her and brushed it off with the wave of her hand. "Look you guys are way off okay. That's just what friends do," she said leaving it as that.

Bolin shook his head disagreeing. "I'd go above and beyond for my bro," he gestured in Mako's direction. "But I'm not gonna rub his disgusting feet."

Mako looked down at his shoes and back at his brother. "I have a manicurist for that," he said correcting his brother.

"Point is. You both have a second chance to be more," Bolin said looking at Korra with a serious expression. He tapped her lightly on her shoulder and said, "all you gotta do is woman up."

"Woman up?" Korra phased in a question from his choice of words.

Tu looked away from his phone and over at Korra. "Yeah woman up. Its basically the female equivalent to man up. Be fearless and take what you want despite the unforeseen outcome it could have on your current relationship status between the two of you," he said before turning his attention back to his phone.

Everyone stared at Tu for a long period of time before Mako spoke up on his behalf. "He took one women and gender studies course online and he knows everything," Mako said with the shake of his head.

"And a psych class," Tu said catching his sarcasm before it left his mouth.

Mako rolled his eyes and said, "yeah yeah."

Tu put his phone down and looked to Korra. "The world is expanded and your mind has to expand with it in order to explain what it contains," he said raising his hand into the distant.

"Here we go again," Bolin said flagging down one of the waitress who took his order earlier.

* * *

Asami was eating breakfast with her son for the first time this week. "How is it?" she asked pointing her fork at his plate.

Iroh was in the middle of chewing and nodded his head til he finished. "Its good," he said with a bright smile on his face.

That smile on her little boys face lit up her own. Asami was so excited to tell him the day she had planned. "So I was thinking since I had the whole day free that we could go check out that new exhibit in the museum of mechanics.."

Iroh dropped his fork on his plate out of shock. "Really?!" he said eyes wide as ever.

"Yes really and afterwards we could go to the Wan Shi Ton library pick up a few books so we can make a replica of whatever model you want," Asami said seeing the look on her son's face. It was priceless. They would often make replicas of vintage car models, motorcycles, even historical military vehicles but never planes. "On our way home we can stop by the Jasmine Dragon tea shop. What do you say?" she asked hoping he'd be on board with it all.

Iroh was speechless by the look on his face. A smile grew even wider on his face. He got up from his seat and gave his mother a huge hug before pulling back. "Can we go now?" he asked with excitement in his voice.

Asami tighten the hug before he could pull away. "Finish eating first then we can go okay," she said brushing his hair back.

"Okay!" Iroh answered in a haste. He sat back down and ate his food with an uncontrollable smile. He would finally be able to spend some time with his mother.

* * *

"So how is Asami holding up?" Bolin asked while eating a mini bagel. "Opal told me she was working at Baatar's security company."

Korra took a sip of her ice tea before sitting it back down on the table. "Well she hates her boss like every other normal human being in the four nations so... I'd say she's doing pretty well," she said with a chuckle before stealing one of Mako's hash brown bites.

Bolin knew how awful Kuvira could be and avoided every family event she was apart of. "How are things going with you and Iroh?"

"It's a slow process... plus kids don't really like me for some reason," Korra said taking another sip of her drink.

"Bull! You were great with the twins when you stayed with us," Bolin said calling her out. He knew she was making up an excuse to why they weren't clicking.

Korra shook her head no while focusing her attention on a spot that was on the table. "That's different," she said looking back at Bolin. "They're basically babies. Babies don't judge. Kids do. They give you these little judgemental looks and opinions with comebacks faster than you could imagine," she said laying her worries out on the table unknowingly.

Bolin raised a brow at her little rant. "That's what I have to look forward too?" he asked seeing her nod his way. He shook his head no not wanting to believe it. "I'm sure Iroh will warm up to you sooner or later," he said placing his hand on her shoulder.

"I hope so..." Korra said with a sigh.

* * *

Asami came out of her room and raised her hand up showing Iroh the keys. "Got them," she said seeing him smile. Before she could open up the front door her phone rang. "Hold on," she said pulling her purse open and digging through it. She took out her phone and saw it was Kuvira.

"Shh.. ugh." Asami mumbled to stop herself from cursing. She held up her index finger for her son to see before answering. "Yes?"

"Where are you? You're late," Kuvira said in an aggressive tone of voice.

Asami walked further into the living room so her son couldn't overhear anything being said. "Today's my day off."

Kuvira scoffed at Asami. "You wish."

"I checked the schedule it said that I was off on Sundays," Asami said lowly looking over her shoulder at Iroh who looked displeased.

"Yeah that's a... that's a glitch in the system," Kuvira said skimming through her photos to find the best selfie to post on her Instagram. Picking one, she began to write a funny caption under it before continuing her train of thought. "If you read the fine print you would know that new employees don't get a day off until a month of employment," she said taking her phone off speaker and placing it to her ear. "So I'm giving you 30 minutes to get your ass down here or don't bother coming in at all," she said before hanging up and looking at the like she got from Baatar.

Asami lowered the phone from her ear and sighed.

"Mom?" Iroh said getting her attention. The look on her face said it all. It was the same look his father would have before leaving for work. Iroh frowned slightly and gave her a nod before heading into his room.

"Iroh. Iroh!" Asami called out to him only to hear his door slam. "Dammit..."

* * *

Korra laughed when Mako mention the prank they pulled their senior year. "Yeah principal Gyatso was livid. You know I ran into him a few days ago."

"Yeah? How was that?" Mako asked still chuckling.

"Awkward as always," Korra said knowing Tenzin meant well. Her cell phone rang before she could continue."Hello?" she said not looking at the caller ID.

Asami was in the middle of changing her clothes when Korra picked up. "Hey its me. I just got a call from work saying that I have 30 minutes to come in or else I'm out of a job," she explained with clear frustration in her voice. "Do you think-"

"I'll be there," Korra said before Asami could finish. She knew how disappointing this was going to be for the both of them. "See you soon." Korra hung up the phone and stood up from the table. "I gotta go," she said placing her phone in her back pocket.

"Duty calls?" Tu asked meaning Asami.

Mako chuckled and tapped his cousin on the shoulder. "I think you mean wifey."

"Shut up," Korra said in a playful tone. "See you three stooges later."

"I'll give you a ride," Bolin said getting up as well. They said their goodbyes and left the cafe.

* * *

Korra got back in time for Asami to leave. She knocked on the door with Asami opening it up with in seconds. "Hey..." Korra greeted with a puzzled look.

"Hey! Thank you so much for this," Asami said rushing over to the couch to put her shoes on.

"No problem," Korra said entering the apartment. "How much time do you have left?"

Asami thought on it as if she was calculating it in her head. "A solid 15. Could make it there in five if I didn't have to wait for a red light," she said with a smirk.

Korra shook her head at the thought of it. "Okay speed demon. So where's the kid?" she asked looking around.

"Held up in his room," Asami said going through her satchel making sure she didn't leave anything behind. She stopped what she was doing and looked over at Korra with a worried look. "He's really disappointed... specially in me."

"Don't think like that," Korra said taking a seat beside her.

Asami shook her head no as if to disagree. "He was looking forward to today and I ruined it." _Like I ruin everything._

"You didn't ruin anything okay. Things happen," Korra said trying to get her to see it from a logical stand point. She placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and said, "look don't worry okay. I'll take him to all those lame places you wanted to take him today."

"Really?" Asami asked surprised by Korra's offer.

Korra surprised herself but didn't let it show. "Yeah why not," she said with a shrug.

Asami turned in her seat and gave Korra a tight hug. "Thank you."

"Its fine. Now go before you actually have to blow through traffic," Korra pulling back with a chuckle.

"Okay. Call me if anything happens," Asami said standing up grabbing her satchel and keys.

Korra gave her a small salute, "will do."

Asami giggled and walked back down the hall way knocking on Iroh's door. "I'll see you when I get home okay?" she said hearing silence. "Okay..." she said heading toward the front door. "Thanks again," she said before leaving.

"Anytime," Korra said closing the door and locking it behind her. She took a deep breath and walked down the hall knocking on Iroh's door. Not getting an answer, Korra knocked again. "You okay in there?"

"I'm fine. Go away..." Iroh said sniffling.

Korra rubbed the back of her neck wondering if she should enter. "I know your mom had a lot of things planned for you today," she said not wanting to upset him any further. "If you're still up for it. We could go," Korra suggested. She knew it was a long shot but had to try. The silence she received in return was discouraging but she wouldn't let up that easy. She leaned up against the door frame to get comfortable.

After a minute, Iroh got up from his bed and opened the door. "You would take me?" he questioned unsure if she would even be up for something like this.

"Yeah I would," Korra said not missing a beat.

Iroh gave her a look as if he was trying to read her mind. He took a deep breath and gave her a nod. "Okay but we'll have to get there soon before the next tour starts," he said walking pass her to get his coat.

A small smile appeared on Korra's face at his response. "Sure thing mini me," she said with a chuckle.

* * *

Korra and Iroh were escorted around the museum with a small group. The guide was leading them to the Aviation part of the museum. "And here we have Teo's first invention to test out his father's theory of flight; the glider," he said showing them a modified wooden wheelchair with wings on its sides. "Since he was a paraplegic he had to build the glider around his wheelchair," he stated while pointing to the wood. "He became a famous aerial acrobatic during his respectable time period," he said throwing a fun fact their way. "The glider alone was the starting point for biplanes," he said with a smile.

As the group moved along, Korra noticed a plane she had the pleasure of jumping out of. "We meet again Big Ben," she said standing in front of it. Iroh looked at her confused. She went through the guide book and pointed at the plane they were in front of. "Sky Bison 1-53. I jumped outta one of these a few times," she said skimming briefly through the info section.

Iroh face lit up with surprise. "You did? How high up were you?"

Korra looked up to the ceiling thinking. "From what I remember it was about 30,000 feet," she said looking back at Iroh.

"That's a pro level," Iroh uttered in shock.

Korra shrugged at his reaction. "I guess," she said never really paying that much attention to it.

Iroh had a glow in his eyes Korra never seen before. "What else did you do?"

"Mostly ran stealth like missions. I was lucky enough to get to dabble in a bit of everything during my time in the United Forces," Korra said glancing back at the little booklet.

"How long were you in?" Iroh asked never knowing she was in the military.

Korra looked back at Iroh noticing the multitude of questions he had. "Six years."

Iroh was astonished by the number and looked back at the gigantic airplane model before him. "Wow. I wonder how long my father was in..." he said to himself.

"Probably longer than me," Korra uttered while folding the booklet up in her hand. She didn't know that much about his father's career but knew enough about her own to shed a little bit of light on what he might have gone through. "Let's catch up to the group before we get left behind," she said giving him a light tap on the side of his shoulder with the booklet.

* * *

After the tour at the museum, Korra was trying to figure out how to get to their next destination. "You know the way to the library right?"

"Yes," Iroh said looking around the area as they walked.

"Good. So what kind of books do you usually get?" Korra asked while walking across the street with him.

Iroh looked over at her with a curious brow, "I'm not sure you're up for that," he said knowing Korra had no clue what they were going to the library for. He would usually go with his mother and pick up books to build replica models.

Korra stopped walking once they were on the side walk. She gave him a puzzled look. "I can handle anything you throw at me," she said hoping that she wasn't discouraging him from his mother's plans.

Iroh thought on it and shook his head no. "Maybe another time," he said gaining another idea. "We already did something I like. How about we do something you like."

Korra was surprised at his suggestion. It was the first time he actually took any interest. Maybe Bolin was right. Things would get better. "You sure?" she asked.

"Yeah," Iroh said with a nod of approval. He had dozens of model planes in storage that his father would send him during extended missions. When he stopped sending them, Iroh and his mother would build model cars but never planes. His love for aviation was the only thing he and his father connected on. Hearing how Korra did the same, he wanted to know more about her. "You said you use to go on stealth missions. What was that like?"

Korra couldn't help but flash a smile at his question. "Pretty intense but most of my time out in the field was since I was a marksman," she said thinking on all the harsh conditions she had to deal with. "Keeping tabs on the enemy at long distances in concealed positions you would not believe," she said with a chuckle.

Iroh wondered what kind of locations she had to be in in order to be undetected. "Like what?"

"Well during my brief time in the Northern Tundra I would dress up in all white and laid in the snow for nearly 6 hours straight," she said feeling on her jacket remembering the white material attached to it that was suppose to blend in with the snow. Korra was trained to withstand such harsh conditions but that didn't mean that she couldn't catch hypothermia. "We would pick off our targets one by one you could see the blo-" she said stopping herself from going to far into depth. Last thing she wanted to do was traumatize the kid. Clearing her throat, Korra changed the topic. "I have an idea. Would you like to see what I did for a living?"

"Of course!" Iroh said excited about the idea.

Korra chuckled at that. "Awesome before we go we'll need a change of clothes."

* * *

Korra took Iroh to a paintball field after buying some gear from their shop. There was a walk on game about to start. She was helping the kid put his gear on. He had a watch cap, a mask to cover his face, neck protector, long sleeve jersey with a vest over top of it, gloves, crash elbows and knee pads, pants and sneakers in his size all in black with red in the design. "Comfy?" Korra asked wondering if it was too much.

Iroh raised his arms to his sides and twisted his hips. "Kind of," he said a bit curious as to why he had all this gear on when she only had the same jersey as him, elbow pads, a red band on her right arm, one knee pad on her good leg, black gloves on each hand and a holster on her leg for an extra paintball gun.

Korra chuckled with a nod. "Okay. Remember stay vigilant and keep moving no matter what. Never stay in one place longer than 30 seconds or you'll get box in which is something you don't want," she said wrapping a red color band around his right arm. "And the most important thing you want to do-"

"Hey!" A man in green gear called out to Korra. He walked up right behind her with his son by his side. "Fresh meat! Oh?" he said seeing Korra turn around. "A woman?" he said as if disgusted. He noticed Korra's leg brace and pointed at it. "And a cripple at that. I didn't know they let cripples participate you know with the whole liability thing," he said laughing with his son.

Korra looked down at her leg brace and back up at the man. "Yeah..." she said shaking her leg out a bit. She stepped in front of Iroh's view to face him. "I'm a need you to tone it down a bit. Not take this game too seriously and be civil. Okay?" Korra said giving him fair warning.

The man laughed even harder in her face. "When I'm done laying you out on the field. I'm a take your arm band and wipe my ass with it. How's that sound for civil?" he said getting in her face even more.

Korra gave him a look and leaned back a bit. "Sounds like you need a breath mint," she said seeing him back up himself.

"I'll see you out there crippy," he said giving her a wink before walking off with his son.

Iroh stood beside Korra upset about what happened. "How come you didn't tell him you were in the United Forces?" he asked knowing her injury was probably why she was discharged.

"Because its not a card I like to play," Korra said remembering the threat she tossed at Aiwei for evicting her. She placed her hand on his shoulder and bend down to his level on her good knee. "I'd rather let him find out for himself," she said knowing he'd understand. Fixing his arm band again, Korra flashed him a smile, "when they blow the horn run all the way toward the back on the left side. Stay low in between the barrels and aim from out of the corner and move to a new position after shooting," she said seeing him nod.

"What were you trying to tell me before?" Iroh asked knowing she didn't get to finish when that jerk interrupted her.

Korra almost forgot what she was going to say before until he reminded her. "I was gonna say the most important thing you need to do is to have fun. Okay," she said with a smile.

Iroh smiled himself as he raised his paintball gun up. "Okay."

* * *

When the horn went off, Iroh ran all the way to the back with others around him firing off shots at each other. He got all the way to the back of the course as fast as he could. He found a spot between the barrels and stood behind it for cover. He held his paintball gun out and waited counting down the seconds. He heard some kids in the distance laughing and grown men yelling like wild animals.

After 30 seconds, Iroh moved from his position to a new one. He saw someone a few feet away from him ready to shoot him. The man with a blue band on his arm was ready to pull the trigger in his direction. Before he could, he was shot with a red splat of paint on his trigger hand moving the intended shot to a person on his own team.

Iroh looked up to see where that shot came from.

"Two for one," Korra said with a smirk. She was laying on top a stack of wooden crates.

When Iroh spotted her, she gave him a thumbs up and signaled for him to move on. He looked around like he was told and started to move in the direction she was signaling too.

Korra moved from her position and started to shoot any and everyone who got close to Iroh.

Iroh ran as fast as he could and crawled through a barrel hole and out the other side.

"There you are," the boy said aiming his paintball gun at Iroh. A loud whistle got the boys attention. He looked up and saw Korra aiming her own gun in his direction. Iroh took this opportunity to shoot the boy in the leg.

Korra laughed and got down from the high level position to regroup with Iroh. "We're doing good so far," she said with a chuckle. "Now we have to find that kids father."

The man came behind Korra aiming his paintball gun to the back of her head. "Any last words."

Reacting quickly, Korra turned around fast shoving the man's gun to the side and aiming her own in his chest shooting him repeatedly.

The man fell to the ground in shock. He had red paint all over his vest.

"Not bad for a cripple," Korra said with a wink before chuckling. She looked back at Iroh and said, "come on soldier we got a game to win."

Iroh smiled so brightly after that. He walked around the man's body and followed Korra's path.

The game ended with the Red Team winning. Only two sole survivors with no spot of paint on them. Korra and Iroh took a picture for the owners wall. They were the only first time walk on's to win a game spotless. It was impressive to say the least. Korra and Iroh received a copy of the photo and free t-shirts to commemorate their achievement.

* * *

After the paintball game they went to a local diner for something to eat. Iroh couldn't stop smiling from all the adrenaline he was feeling. He never experienced anything like that before. In school, he wasn't the athletic type but more of the academic kind. Considering how today went, Iroh wanted to give it a try. "It was super cool how you took that guy down."

"You were pretty cool yourself," Korra said while dipping her fry into her pool of ketchup that was on her plate.

"Not like you. You took that other guy out from behind," Iroh said demonstrating with his straw and making sound effects to go along with it.

Korra laughed not sure if he was still stoked about the experience or on a sugar high from the oreo milkshake he was drinking. "Goes to show. Never let your guard down."

Iroh sat up in his seat and took another sip of his milkshake. He wiped his mouth off and smiled widely. "I wish mom could have been there to see it," he said taking a chicken nugget and eating it.

Korra finished chewing and sat the rest of her burger down on a plate. "I know how disappointed you were that she couldn't come today. But she had a good reason," she said not sure how to explain the situation.

Iroh sat back in his seat and looked down at his plate. "I know..." he said in a low tone. "Its my fault she wasn't there."

"No its not," Korra said not wanting him to blame himself.

"Yes it is," Iroh stated in a more serious manner. He looked up at Korra with shame written all over his face. "She's only doing it because of what Grandma said."

Korra gave him a look of confusion. "What did she say?"

Iroh looked down at his hands. "That she was gonna take me away."

Korra looked at him surprised. She had no idea Iroh Seniors mom would do such a thing. "When did this happen?" she asked since this was the first it was brought to her attention.

"That night after my father's funeral," he said looking back up at her. Iroh wasn't sure if his grandmother would make good on her word. All he knew was that he wanted to stay in Republic City with his mother. "I don't want to go," he said with a scared look in his eyes.

Korra stood up and came around the booth. She sat next to him and placed her arm around his shoulder. "You're not going anywhere. No one is taking you from your mother," she said pulling him lightly toward her to cheer him up.

Iroh sniffed a bit in order to not cry. "But she said-"

"It doesn't matter what she said. Its not going to happen. You're going to be here with your mother like you always have," Korra said in a reassuring tone. She knew nothing she could say would put his mind at ease. Over hearing such a conversation was damaging enough. She sighed and looked around the diner wondering what she could say to make him feel better. Looking back at him, Korra gave him a soft smile. "Both your mother and grandmother want whats best for you that's all this is. They love you that much which they should. You're an awesome kid," she said hearing him chuckle a bit at that. "Your Nana just misses your dad as much as you do," Korra said pointing at him.

Iroh shook his head aggressively still sniffling. "I don't miss him. I barely know him," he said feeling the tingling in his cheeks as he tried his best to stop his lower lip from trembling.

Korra looked down knowing that feeling all to well. The resentment she had for her own father for never being around. "You do know him in your own way," she said looking back at him. "Every moment you shared together was special. Even if it was only for a short period of time. That's something you have to hold on too," she said wanting him keep that in mind. It was the only thing she had to keep herself from imploding internally.

Iroh nodded and picked up his shake taking another sip thinking on what Korra said. Despite what he was feeling he didn't let a single tear fall.

* * *

Asami came back home around 10pm. No one was in living room but she could hear the shower on down the hall. She placed her satchel down and walked toward Iroh's room. She came inside of his room and saw that he was asleep.

Iroh was lightly snoring with a fresh pair of pajamas on. He had his fathers medal hanging from his fingertips about to fall.

Asami carefully took it out of his hand and placed it back under his pillow. She leaned over and kissed his forehead.

The shower cut off with Korra coming out of the bathroom. She walked into the living room with her new paintball t-shirt on and black basketball shorts. Her brace was on the floor by the couch. She took a seat and stretched out her bad leg with a twitch of pain striking through it.

Asami came out of Iroh's room and spotted Korra on the couch. "How was your day?"

Korra sat up straight when she heard Asami's voice. She looked up at her with a small smirk. "Educational and eventful."

"What'd you do?" Asami asked wondering if she actually did everything she mention earlier.

"Went to the museum, saw some planes, trains and all kinds of transportation," Korra said trying not to be over sarcastic.

Asami stood in front of Korra with her arms crossed and a know-it-all smirk on her face. "What's with the shirt?" she said nodding at it.

Korra looked down at her black t-shirt that had red, blue, green, and yellow paint splatters on it with the name of the company on top. "Oh yeah..." she said looking back up at Asami who was waiting for an explanation. "There was a walk on game at a paintball field so we stopped by see what all the excitement was about," she said with a shrug as if it was nothing.

"He really went to a paintball event with you?" Asami asked knowing how particular her son was.

"Yeah he said we did something he wanted to do and suggested we do something I wanted to do," Korra said not sure if she worded it right.

Asami was baffled at that and quickly remembered the topic at hand. "And you chose to take a nine year old to a paintball field?" she asked with a small frown on her face.

Korra didn't realize at the time how Asami would react to it until now. "I a..." she said not sure how to explain.

"I'll need to step my game up next time I'm free," Asami said with a smirk before walking into the kitchen.

Korra sat back on the couch relieved that she wasn't upset. "We picked up your favorite chicken salad," she mention when Asami opened up the fridge.

Asami spotted it soon as she opened the fridge. "Thanks," she said taking it out.

Korra took the remote and turned on the television. She turned down the volume since Iroh was asleep.

"And thanks again for today," Asami said taking a seat next to Korra. "Was Iroh okay with it?"

"He was disappointed but I understand why now," Korra said keeping her eye on the TV.

Asami poured a bit of ranch on to her salad and placed the bottle on the coffee table. "What do you mean?" she asked looking in Korra's direction.

Korra looked over at Asami and sighed. "He told me what his grandmother said about taking him away from you," she said seeing Asami jaw clench out of reaction. "When were you gonna tell me?"

"It wasn't relevant," Asami responded unfazed.

"It is to Iroh," Korra shot back. She was concerned for the kid. "He's carrying all that weight on him. He needs to express himself," Korra said in a serious tone.

Asami knew Korra was right. Iroh was dissociating instead of grieving properly. "Did this help," Asami asked pulling the edge of Korra's t shirt. She spotted Korra's v line and quickly released her shirt letting it puff up.

Korra smirked and gave Asami a nod. "Its a start. How was work?"

Asami let out an exhausted sigh. "Boring as usual. Found over 12 ways to set fire to the place with just Kuvira in it..." she said drifting off into thought.

Korra laughed and said, "just 12?" knowing Asami had more up her sleeve.

"Would have been more but I got distracted," Asami said tapping Korra lightly on her thigh.

Korra was trying to simmer down her amusement with a hard smirk. "Aside from your arsonistic fantasies how was everything else?"

Asami looked at Korra and remained silent for a few seconds before speaking. "Bearable," she said with a shrug.

"I can see why Iroh has a hard time expressing himself," Korra said seeing where the kid gets it from.

Asami placed her food down on the coffee table and looked over at Korra. "I haven't had time to really cope with it," she admitted with a distant look in her eyes. She looked away from Korra and down to the floor. "Our anniversary is coming up next month..."

Korra automatically felt bad for badgering her about it. "I'm sorry."

Asami shook her head not wanting to think about it. "We haven't been together in almost five years," she said feeling regret and sorrow build up. She looked over at the hallway to make sure Iroh was no where in sight. She turned in her seat to face Korra clearly. "I asked him for a divorce two years ago. He said that when he came back that we would talk about it and now..." she said gulping. "Now I'm here by myself again..." she said feeling her lip quiver.

Korra placed a comforting hand on Asami's knee. "You're not alone."

Asami gave Korra a weak smile and a nod. "Thank you," she said placing her hand on top of Korra's. Before she could get any more emotional, Asami let go of Korra's hand and said, "I think I should just get some sleep," she said not feeling hungry anymore. She stood up and took her salad back into the kitchen and placed it into the fridge.

Korra stood up and walked over to where Asami stood. "You gonna be okay?" she asked worried now.

Asami gave her a nod and a small smile in response. "Yeah. Goodnight Korra."

"Goodnight..." Korra said watching Asami walk pass her. She turned around wanting to say something but stood there unable to speak.

Asami stopped in her tracks and turned around to face Korra. She walked back and gave her a hug. "Thank you again for today," she said wanting her friend to know how grateful she was for all her help. It was true. If Korra wasn't here she wouldn't know what to do.

Korra held her and gently rubbed her back. "Your welcome."

Asami pulled back and gave Korra a kiss on the cheek. "Night," she said walking back to her room.

Korra stood there and watched her walk away until her door closed. "Night."


	6. Walk In The Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra and Iroh take a detour on the way home. Asami goes out into the field.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors Note: Hey Guys! I know its been a minute since I updated this fic. My sincere apologizes for that. Was a slight block but pushed through it. I appreciate the patience more than you know. I know I mention in Special Delivery and City Life that I would participate in Korrasami week but was unable to do to being sick (and currently still am). There's always next year. Anyway, Hope you all enjoy the chapter. Later Gladiators.

Korra lightly jogged down the steps with Iroh by her side. "So how was your day?" she asked him as they got to the bottom.

"It was pretty good," Iroh said lifting his school bag up on his shoulder. "My teacher told the funniest joke today in science class," he said with a light chuckle still thinking about it.

"What was the joke?" Korra asked curiously.

Iroh stopped in his tracks and held his hands out. "Okay. Why can't you trust atoms?" he said trying to hide an amused smile.

Korra shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Why?"

"Because they make up everything!" Iroh said with a chuckle.

Korra laughed along with him. "That's a good one," she said more amused with his sense of humor. "You remind me of your mother."

Iroh looked up at her with a raised brow, confused. "Really?" he asked seeing Korra nod. "People always compare me to my father but never my mother," he said annoyed by it.

"Well you remind me of her," Korra said walking with him toward the bus stop.

"How?" Iroh asked intrigued by her observation.

Korra thought on it for a second before going into detail. "Well for starters you both have the same dorky laugh. The same cute dimple smile, nerd like interests, that little frown in between brows when someone annoys you and most of all. The main thing you both have in common is!" she said making it very dramatic. "A good heart," she said pointing at his chest.

Iroh smiled at her kind words and said, "I guess..." slightly agreeing with her. "You sure know a lot about my mom," he said hoping she'd give him insight he didn't know about her.

"Well yeah we use to be best friends," Korra said not thinking about it.

"What about now?" Iroh asked hearing the past tense she used.

Korra wasn't sure how to answer that and looked around. "A..." she said spotting the park across the street. She cleared her throat and quickly changed the subject. "Hey do you want to go straight home or take a detour?" she asked pointing over at the park.

Iroh followed her line of sight and saw the entrance to the park. He looked back up at Korra and said, "a detour would be nice," with a small smile.

"Awesome," Korra said holding her fist out to him. Iroh looked at her fist and balled up his own before bumping hers. "Come on," she said putting an arm around him and walking toward the park.

* * *

Kuvira was at her desk eating lunch when Baatar called her. "Yeah?" she answer with a mouth full of chilli cheese fries.

"Hey babe I got some bad news," Baatar said knowing she wouldn't want to hear it. "Two of our field agents is out. One has the flu and the other got transferred," he said still trying to figure out a way to get the transferred one to come back just for today.

"Don't worry I'll handle it," she said before hanging up. Kuvira wiped her mouth and got up from her desk. Asami was on the phone with a client when Kuvira approached her cubical. "Wrap it up," she mouthed while Asami was talking.

"Could I just place you on hold for a sec. Thanks," she said pressing the hold button. Asami sat back in her seat and looked up at Kuvira. "Yes?"

Kuvira held back a belch and cleared her throat. "I need you and Lee to go to these addresses," she said handing Asami a sticky note with locations and times. "Two of our best are currently unavailable so both of you need to be at the first location in 20 and not a minute later," she said before walking back to her office.

Asami glanced at the note and sighed heavily once Kuvira walked away. She got up and placed on her coat. "Fae can you?" she said point at her phone. Fae gave her a thumbs up with a nod before returning to her call.

Lee walked with Asami toward the elevators. "Hopefully this won't take all day," Lee said looking at his watch that read 5:45 p.m.

"Do we have some type of company car?" Asami asked not wanting to take her van.

"Yeah you want to drive?" he asked as they both got on the elevator.

Asami pressed the button to the first floor. "Might as well."

* * *

Once they were across the street, Korra walked pass a sign that read: Avatar Park. She looked over at Iroh with a smile. "You know... you were pretty good the other day," she said meaning the paintball war they were apart of. He was pretty fast for a little guy. "Do you run track at school?"

"No," Iroh uttered with the shake of his head. "I was never really good at sports," he said a bit disappointed. He always thought he would learn how to play with his father. Now that he was gone, it was unlikely he ever would. Then again what happened yesterday sparked something in him he never felt before. "Though... I would like to learn," he said looking up at Korra.

"If you want I could teach you whatever sport you're interest in..." Korra offered with a smile.

Iroh was surprised by her offer though he did kind of hint at it. It made him content that he still had the option to learn. "I'm not sure where to start..." he said trying to hide his smile.

Korra thought on what he could do. "Well there's plenty to choose from like: basketball, baseball, football, soccer which in some nations is actually called football. Um... what else. Oh tennis, volleyball, hockey, golf which is kind of boring but if you have patience it can be very eventful," she said not to discourage him. "Lacrosse, skiing or snowboarding, um... swimming, wrestling, track and field," she said pointing at him. He had the speed for it. "Anything you really wanna do," she said laying out a long list for him to choose from.

Iroh felt a bit overwhelmed with how many there was. He had no idea what kind of sport he wanted to try first.

Korra noticed his silence and saw how hard he was thinking on it. She didn't want to pressure him so decide to throw one out there. "We could always start with something simple," she said placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Like what?" he asked interested in what she had in mind.

Korra looked around and spotted a bike rental rack near by. "Like riding a bike," she said looking back at him with a smirk.

* * *

The first place on the list was Cabbage Corp. Asami and Lee walked inside of the building and was escorted to the top floor.

Exiting the elevators, the assistant stopped and opened up the glass door for them to walk through. Asami and Lee were both greeted by the owner Lau Gan-Lan. "Thank Raava you're here," he said with a worried expression on his face.

"What seems to be the problem," Lee asked with a clip board ready in hand.

"I'll show you," Lau said walking up to one of his employee's desks. He turned the monitor on and showed them what was on it. There were pictures of naked women sitting on mashed up cabbages. "I can't get it off. Its on every computer monitor," he said about to have another panic attack. "The IT guy couldn't even fix it."

Lee sat down at the computer and tried to clear it off but nothing was accessible to remove it. "Its on every single computer with in the building?" he asked Lau who nodded.

Asami turned the monitor on another computer and saw the same pictures. "How did this start?" she asked wanting to know when and where it happened.

Lau was a little embarrassed to speak to her about it but knew he had to in order to get this situated. "I was checking my emails. Opened one I've been waiting for and soon as I clicked it _this_ spread across all the computers," he said referring to the pornographic pictures. He looked over at the glass doors and back to them. "I have all my workers waiting outside to come back to work," he said wanting this resolved as soon as possible.

"Can I see your computer?" Asami asked taking a look at her phone before looking back at Mr. Gan-Lan.

Lau gave her a nod and walked down the hall toward his office. Lee and Asami followed suit. "Here it is," he said gesturing to his desk.

Asami passed Lee and took a seat at Mr. Gan-Lan desk and started to get to work.

"What is she doing?" Lau asked since he had sensitive documents on his computer.

"Don't worry. We'll have it removed in no time," Lee said gesturing for Mr. Gan-Lan to leave the office. He looked back at the monitor seeing the screen full of codes. Any one else would take them all day and more but the way Asami was typing at the speed of light made Lee think they'd be out of there in a few hours.

* * *

Iroh had a few near falls on the bike but found his balance after a while. "I think I got it now," he said riding up to Korra.

"Nice. Who taught you how to ride?" Korra asked amazed he got it so fast. She knew someone had to teach him.

"My mom did a few summers ago," he said looking down at the pedals for a second.

Korra chuckled at the thought of Asami running after him. "That's cool," she said straightening out her left leg before placing her foot back on the pedal. "Me and my friends use to play follow the leader and ride our bikes every where," she said thinking on how much they went in circles in their small residential area.

"Really? Did my mom tag along?" Iroh asked with a curious look on his face.

"This was before I met your mom," Korra said riding up on the path way.

Iroh wondered if he should ask again and decided to go for it. "How did you meet my mom?"

Korra wasn't expecting him to ask her that again. She remembered it so clear in her mind like it happened yesterday but wasn't sure whether to tell him or not. "Its a long story, probably bore you," she simply put. She glanced around the area and gained an idea to change the subject. "Hey!" she said getting his attention. "Can you keep up?" she asked with a smile. Seeing him nod, Korra did the same back. "Follow me," she said standing up a bit on the bike and riding a bit faster down the pathway.

* * *

Asami finished with in a 30 minute span. She got up from his desk and pressed one button that showed his computer was in the clear along with everyone elses computer monitors. "So the email you received earlier placed some kind of malware that went from your computer to everyone elses through the modem," she told Lau who looked at if he didn't understand a word she was saying. She knew she had to put it in the simplest terms in order for him to understand. "In other words. I found the source of the problem and got rid of it," she said seeing his face enlighten up.

"Thank you. Thank you so much," Lau said relieved.

Asami handed him the clipboard to fill out and sign at the bottom. "Thank you," she said before leaving his office with Lee.

Before they could get to the elevators, Lau ran up and stopped in front of them. "Before you go," he said taking a moment to catch his breath. "I need to ask for your discretion on what you saw today," he said referring to the images that flooded everyone's computers.

Asami looked at Lee who looked at her and back at Lau. "Of course," they both said in unison.

Lau gave them another nod and thanked them before returning to his office to call his workers back in.

Once they were outside, Both Lee and Asami burst into laughter. "Oh man that was insane," he said walking up to the company car. "I mean it wasn't the craziest thing I've ever seen but it was certainly on my top ten," he said getting in the passengers side.

Asami got into the drivers seat and closed the side door. "What's on your top ten?"

"Well without naming names. You know because of 'discretion,'" he said in air quotes. "There were some weird security breaches we had in the past," he explained thinking on one. Lee snapped his fingers and said, "like how this one guy hacked into one of our clients computers and flushed out all his bank accounts on and off shore," while placing on his seat belt.

Asami thought that was a pretty standard thing until he went into detail. The more he talked the weirder it got. "Can we expect that all the time?" she asked wondering how often this occurred. To have someone hack into your computer and stamp an FBI warning on it in order to get your information was criminal.

Lee shook his head no, "nah but when it does happen the reactions are glorious," he said thinking on how Lau was about to shit a brick. "Do you wanna grab a bite to eat before we go to our next stop?" he asked feeling his stomach growl.

"Sure," Asami agreed before leaving the parking lot and driving on to the main road.

* * *

Korra and Iroh rode their bikes around the park. They passed the fountain and headed near the tennis court. Looking behind her, Korra spotted Iroh squinting his eyes. "You alright?" she asked wondering if his eyes were okay.

Iroh gave her a nod. "Yeah," he said only squinting because of the wind.

Korra held her hand out to him. "Pass me and lead for a while."

"Okay," Iroh said with a smile. He tagged her hand and rode passed her to the leading position.

Korra followed Iroh with ease and laughed when they passed by a flock of birds. People were racing small boats while others were playing Frisbee. They passed the basketball court seeing an glimpse of an intense game. Korra stretched her leg out again feeling it tense up a bit. She kept it off for a while and peddled with one leg.

Iroh looked behind him and spotted Korra. "Can you keep up?" he asked a miniature smirk.

"You bet," Korra said placing her foot back and standing up on the bike to follow his path.

* * *

Asami and Lee went to a drive thru and got some burgers and fries. She parked in the parking lot and took small bites of her food.

Lee took a huge bite of his burger and wiped some sauce from his chin. "So where did you work before this?" he asked trying to start up a conversation.

"I worked for my father for a couple of years but it didn't pan out to well," Asami said not wanting to go into detail.

"Why not?" Lee curiously asked.

Asami placed her burger down and wiped her mouth. "Well stealing millions of dollars from your clients and investors is usually frowned upon. Him being the man that he is still chose to do so anyway," she said leaving her fathers name out of it.

Lee automatically knew who she was talking about and covered his mouth out of shock. Not wanting to upset her or make the conversation any more awkward than where it was turning, Lee sympathized. "Well your father certainly has skills," he said commenting on her fathers genius on getting away with such a criminal act for years. He got a slight chuckle in response and smiled. A change of subject would be perfect right about now. "So what made you decide to rejoin the work force?"

Asami took a small sip of her drink before placing it back into the holder. "My son," she said leaving it as that.

"I understand that. Its the same for me when it comes to my baby sister Lila," he said reaching into his pocket. Lee took out his wallet and showed Asami a photo of him and his kid sister who was sick in a hospital bed.

"She's beautiful," Asami commented looking at the picture.

Lee smiled at her and said, "thanks," before looking back at the photo. "We do what we gotta do for our own."

Asami thought of her little boy and smiled. "We sure do."

* * *

After circling the whole park, Iroh and Korra stopped by a food vendor and got something to eat. They both sat on a bench near the pond.

Iroh examined the soft giant pretzel before taking a bit out of it. He chewed quietly and looked over at Korra. "How come you won't tell me about how you and my mom met?" he said since she avoided the question earlier.

Korra could tell by the look on his face that he really wanted to know. "Its not that I don't want to tell you its just not much to tell," she simply stated. "We met in school the same way you met your friends," she said taking a bite out of her hot dog.

Iroh became quiet after that and looked over at the pond. "I don't have any friends..."

Korra stopped chewing and looked at him puzzled. For some reason she always managed to assume the wrong things. She finished chewing and wiped her mouth. "I'm sure you have some," she turning in her seat to face him better.

Iroh thought on it and looked off to the side. "Well there is one," he said thinking of Mya. "But.."

"But what?" Korra asked noticing his hesitation.

Iroh wasn't sure what to say. The thought of Hundan came to mind making him go quiet again. "Nothing.."

Korra looked at him with a bit of concern brewing. She placed her hand on his shoulder to get his attention. "I know how hard it is to make friends..." she said knowing from experience. "When you do, you find common interests, sharing your differences and gaining an understanding and respect for it," she said thinking of her own friendships she had. "Never be afraid to make the first move."

Iroh was confused on the last part. "What do you mean?"

Korra thought on it and cleared her throat. "Let me rephrase. Never be afraid to speak to anyone because you could gain a new friend or experience out of it," she said thinking on it wondering if she worded it right.

"I thought it wasn't wise to speak to strangers," Iroh said a bit unsure of what she meant.

Korra chuckled at that. "I mean kids your own age," she said hoping that clarified it.

Iroh uttered the words _ooo_ before giving her a nod. "How would I do that?"

"All you have to do is introduce yourself and let the rest flow," she said with a smile. Korra had met countless people over the years. Some becoming great acquaintances and others not so much.

"I could do that," Iroh said up to the task. If that's all it took he was willing to give it a try.

Korra raised a brow at this and smirked slowly. "Really?" she asked with Iroh giving her a nod in response. "Hmm.. alright," she said looking around. She spotted a group of kids playing soccer near by. "Them," she said pointing in their direction.

"Huh?" Iroh said looking over his shoulder to where Korra pointed.

"Introduce yourself to them," Korra encouraged with a smile. She wasn't sure if he would do it or not and hoped he'd be up for the challenge.

Iroh spotted the group of older looking kids and couldn't help but feel nervous. "I'm not sure."

Korra looked in their direction and shrugged. "They're playing a friendly game of soccer," she said looking back at him. "Give it a try."

Iroh looked back at Korra and took a deep breath. He gave her a nod and said, "okay," before standing up. "Hold my pretzel please," he said handing it to her.

Korra took it and watched as he walked over to them.

Iroh stopped a few feet away and looked over his shoulder at Korra. She gave him a thumbs up for encouragement. He smiled slightly and turned back to face them. He came up to one who currently had the ball. The boy raised a brow when Iroh approached him. Iroh held up his hand with an awkward smile. "Hi I'm Iroh."

The preteen looked Iroh up and down and gave him a nod. "I'm Ashton," he said pointing at himself. "That's Gray, Fox and Rod," he said introducing his friends who held their hands up. "You want to join us?" he said kicking the ball up with his foot then knee before catching it.

Iroh looked back at Korra who waved for him to proceed. He turned back to the taller kid and gave him a nod. "Sure but... I don't know how to play," he said feeling a wave of nerves.

Ashton shrugged his shoulders at Iroh. "I'll teach you," he said as if it was no big deal. "Come on," he said kicking the ball over to Gray.

Korra watched as the kids played with Iroh. Explaining the rules and running some plays. She smiled when they taught him how to bounce the ball off his head.

Iroh rubbed the top of his head with a chuckle. The others laughed along with him and continued to teach him some tricks.

Korra took out her temp phone and took a picture of Iroh with the ball and saved it.

* * *

Asami and Lee arrived at the second place on their list, Shiro Shinobi establishment. It was a decent small place of business. He was a former sports commentator and radio host. Now he does live pod casts for a sports network for the pro fighting circuit.

They came inside with Shiro waiting right at the door. "Just in time," he said with his distinct tone of voice. He walked a head of them to lead them to his work space. "The camera on my new laptop won't work," he said showing them his new high tech computer. "I'm suppose to be doing a live stream review in 15 minutes. Think you guys can knock it out by then?" he asked with a smile.

"Sure," Lee said with an uncontrollable smile.

Asami could tell he was a bit starstruck. "I'll take a look at it," she said pulling out a chair. She had a similar problem before on her own home computer. It had nothing to do with a security breach but understood the concern.

Lee started to chat up Shiro about a legendary fight he had the opportunity to commentate for.

Asami tuned them out and fixed the camera on the computer. It reminded her of the chats she would have with her husband where ever he was stationed. The connection was either bad or the camera wasn't working properly for her or him. The last time they talked wasn't to pleasant.

_"When are you coming home?" Asami asked knowing she'd probably get the run around._

_Iroh II gave her an exhausted sigh and shrugged his shoulders. "Soon."_

_Asami gave him an irritated look. "When is soon?"_

_"Soon is soon. I can't give you an exact date right now," he said with agitation in his voice._

_"Are you even going to be here for Iroh's birthday?" Asami asked in a more calm tone._

_Iroh II was quiet for a moment thinking on if he was or not._

_"Well?" Asami asked wanting an answer._

_"I don't know. Alright," he said annoyed with her persistent questions. Iroh II gave her a sorrowful look. "If I don't could you..." he said about to ask what he always asked. "Could you just get him something for me."_

_Asami folded her arms with a frown. "Seems like what he wants the most I can't give him," she said meaning a father._

_Iroh gave her a frown in return. "That's low. That's fucking low S."_

_"Don't call me that," Asami said nearly raising her voice. He knew how much she hated being called that._

_Iroh shrugged his shoulders. "What S?" he said being a smart ass. "That's what you are right?"_

_Asami looked away from the computer screen. "Shut up..."_

_"Deep down..." Iroh continued._

_"Shut up..." Asami warned again._

_Iroh II knew he was getting to her. "You're a Sato."_

_"Shut up!" Asami shot back at the computer screen._

_-"Mom?" Iroh III called out from the hall._

Asami snapped out of it when she heard Lee and Shiro laughing. She finished in less than five minutes. "Done," she said standing up from the desk pushing in the chair.

Shiro looked at his computer screen seeing the camera functioning properly again. "Thank you," he said looking back at Asami with a smile. Lee handed Shiro the clip board with him signing at the bottom. "Oh hold on," he said leaving the room and coming back a few seconds later. "Here," he said handing Lee and Asami tickets to an upcoming boxing match.

"I can't accept this," Asami said handing it back.

"Its the least I can do," Shiro said grateful for their help. "I'd love for you to come."

Asami didn't want to be rude so she gave him a nod. "Thank you," she said flashing a small smile.

Leaving Shiro's place, Asami stopped by the passenger side door waiting for Lee. He came out a few minutes later laughing and waving goodbye to Shiro. "Sorry about that," he said coming up to her.

"Here," Asami said handing him her ticket.

"What's that for?" he asked confused.

Asami shook her head still handing the ticket out to him. "I'm not gonna go."

Lee looked at her than the ticket. "Keep it. You might change your mind," he said hoping she would.

"I'm not," Asami said waiting for him to take it.

"Why not?" Lee asked looking back up at her.

Asami wanted to say because she was married but that would be a lie. Even if Iroh II was alive, she still hadn't worn her ring for the past couple of years. "I'm just not into boxing," she said lowly. "Please take it."

Lee gave her a nod and took the ticket. "Thanks," he said holding it up and placing it in his pocket.

"Your welcome," she said before walking around the car and getting in the drivers side.

* * *

With the sun setting, people were leaving the park. Iroh said goodbye to the kids and headed out of the park with Korra. They returned the rental bikes and caught the bus to head back home.

Korra's leg felt like it was on fire but she wouldn't complain. It was worth it to see this kid having fun. They stopped by a corner store to get some snacks so they could watch a movie. "Pick out anything you want," she said as he walked down the aisle.

"Okay," he said looking at the flaming hot chips. Iroh grabbed a few things before heading to the back to get himself something to drink. He stopped in his tracks when he saw Hundan. It was almost as if he was frozen in fear. He wasn't sure what to do so he started to slowly back up.

Hundan pushed one of his friends out of the way laughing only to spot Iroh down the aisle. He was surprised to see him and grinned. He was about to walk up to him when Korra came up behind Iroh.

"Nice choice," Korra said gesturing to Iroh's choice of chips. "You got everything?" she asked only to notice Iroh starring a head. She looked in the same direction and spotted a bigger kid with red hair.

Hundan narrowed his eyes at the both of them and walked back to where his friends were.

Korra raised a brow at this and looked down at Iroh. "What was that about?"

"Nothing... lets just go," Iroh said walking pass Korra and up to the front.

Korra wasn't going to push it but was going to keep an eye open for that kid.

When they left the store, Korra tapped Iroh on the shoulder, "I got one," she said with a smile.

"What?" Iroh asked thinking it was a certain snack she was looking for.

Korra held her hand up for him to see. "How do you know the moon is going broke?" she asked with a smirk. She reached behind his ear and showed him a coin. "When its down to its last quarter."

Iroh looked at it amazed and laughed at her joke. "That's a good one," he said impressed by the trick and her wit.

"Good because I've been working on it all day," she said with a chuckle.

* * *

Back at the office, Asami handed the keys back to the front desk and headed up stairs with Lee. They headed back to their cubicals to finish up their work and head home. Asami cleaned up her station and was starting to leave to go home.

Kuvira came out of her office and came up to her cubical again. "Good job today," she said to the both of them. "You'll get an extra peek in pay this week for the inconvenience," she said with a nod of her head before walking off.

Asami was surprised by that and thought it was best not to comment on it. She grabbed her bag and headed toward the elevators again.

Lee caught the elevator with her before they could close. "Today was fun right?" he asked curiously.

"I guess..." Asami said exiting the elevator when the doors opened to the first floor. She walked out of the building and toward the parking lot.

Lee was heading to his own car which was parked across from hers. He took a deep breath and spoke up. "Hey," he said getting her attention again. He stopped a few feet away from her and looked into her eyes. "Would you like to have dinner with me this weekend?" he asked not sure if she'd say yes. "I know this nice little spot that sells the best fire steaks."

Asami stopped fiddling with her car keys and sighed. "It sounds amazing... but I'm not interested in dating anyone."

Lee looked at her a bit stunned but gave her a nod. "Oh.."

"It's not like that," Asami assured so he wouldn't get the wrong impression. "I just lost my husband recently and.."

Lee held his hand up for her to stop. "No need to explain. I understand. My apologizes," he said seeing her situation now.

Asami kept quiet for a few seconds and shook her head. "Don't apologize. Thank you for the offer," she said with a small smile.

"Anytime," Lee said showing a small smile of his own. He held up his hand and waved, "goodnight Asami," he said turning around to head to his car.

"Goodnight Lee," she said in return. Asami got in her car and backed out of the parking lot heading onto the main road.

* * *

Asami got home 20 minutes later. She opened up the front door and saw Korra and Iroh on the couch watching a movie. "Hey you two," she said with a smile.

"Hey," Korra said looking over at Asami. Iroh said hi so lowly with his eyes glued to the TV.

Asami took off her coat and placed it on the hook. She walked into the kitchen and placed her bag of food inside of the fridge. "Roh.. you do your homework?" she asked him when she came back into the living room.

Iroh looked over at his mother with a nod. "I finished it in school."

"Alright. What are you two watching," Asami asked looking over at the TV.

"The Iron Giant," Korra said gesturing to the DVD box on the coffee table. "Can you believe he's never seen it," she said messing up Iroh's hair. "Unbelievable."

Asami came around the coffee table and sat beside her son to watch the rest of the movie with them.

* * *

When the movie went off, Iroh cleaned up his stuff and came back into the living room. "Goodnight mom," he said giving her a hug.

"Night Roh," Asami said with a smile.

Iroh let her go and came over to Korra. "Goodnight Korra."

Korra stopped messing with her brace and looked up at Iroh. "Night little dude."

Iroh held his fist up to her. Korra chuckled and bumped her fist against his. He smiled and grabbed his book bag heading to his room.

Asami watched in awe. "What was that?" she asked Korra surprised.

"Work in progress..." Korra said with a cocky smirk. "How was your day?"

"Did a bit of field work, scraping porn off multiple computers," she said sitting back down on the couch next to Korra.

Korra raised both her brows in shock. "Ooo what kind?"

Asami laughed at her reaction. "The weird fetish kind..."

Korra laughed herself. "With a job like that how can you ever be bored?" she said with a smirk.

"You'd be surprised. What'd you do today?" Asami asked thinking of all the mischief they probably caused.

"Took a walk in the park," Korra simplified. "Oh!" she said remembering the photo. She reached into her pants pocket and took out her phone. She brought up the photo and showed Asami. "Check it out."

Asami looked at the photo and saw Iroh kicking a soccer ball. "Is that Roh?"

Korra gave her a nod. "Yep."

Asami smiled proudly from ear to ear at the picture. "I didn't know he could play soccer."

"Neither did he until they showed him how to play," Korra said not catching the names but watched contently.

"Who?" Asami said wondering if they were from the Academy.

Korra remembered them wearing the same colored t shirts. "Some kids from a public school."

Asami was a bit surprised by that information but accepted it as is. "I can't believe it..." she said with her eyes still looking at the photo. She looked up at Korra with a content smile. "Can you send me this pic?"

Korra looked at the phone and shrugged her shoulders. "You're gonna have to do it," she said not knowing how to work it like that.

Asami shook her head with a smirk and sent the photo to her phone in a text. "Thank you," she said handing Korra back her phone. "So what else do you have planned for this week?"

"Nothing's planned..." Korra said putting her phone back into her side pocket. "It just happens."

"What ever it is... its helping. Thank you," Asami said sincerely.

Korra gave her a nod and cleared her throat to change the subject. "Did Iroh have any friends come over to your house before. You know to hang out or something?" she asked still thinking about what he said on the bench.

Asami thought on it and shook her head no.

"How about at school?" Korra questioned knowing he said there was one.

Asami was starting to feel bad for not recalling one. "There were a couple he paired up with for school projects but none he mention by name..." she said curious to where this line of questioning was leading. "Why?" she asked concerned.

Korra shook her head and flashed a smile so she wouldn't worry. "No reason," she said then abruptly tapped Asami's knee cap gaining an idea. "Hey, when ever you're off from work. Let's do something for Iroh," she said knowing he would love to spend more time with his mom.

"I'm game..." Asami said leaning over Korra and stealing one of her chips from her bag.

"Good and stop eating my chips," Korra said lightly slapping Asami's hand.

Asami pouted slightly rubbing the back of her hand as if it really hurt.

Korra gave her a look of disbelief and handed over her bag. "Fine."

"Yes..." Asami said eating some happily.

"So you going to bed?" Korra said expecting her to crash any moment now.

Asami shook her head no. "Not right away," she said leaning back on the couch.

Korra understood and started to take off her brace. She twitched when she felt a shot of numbing pain run through her leg.

"Does it hurt?" Asami asked out of curiosity.

Korra stretched it out a bit and placed her foot back down on the floor. "A little," she said looking over at Asami.

Asami sat up on the couch and pointed down the hall. "You can take my bed," she offered again.

"Nope. Not doing it," Korra said still being stubborn as ever.

"You need to relax in a bed. If you won't take mines I could always take the air mattress out of the storage unit," she said remembering the one she brought a few years ago.

Korra eyes grew bigger at the thought of it and shook her head no. "No. No air mattresses," she said having a bad experience with it. "I'm good with the couch trust me," she said feeling on the cushion.

Asami ate a few more barbecue chips before wiping her hands off. "If you change your mind. Let me know. You can always sleep in my bed when I'm at work," she said walking into the kitchen.

Korra sighed knowing she would be better off in a bed but not Asami's. It would be more awkward than comfortable. "Thanks but no thanks."

"You are so stubborn," Asami said coming back into the living room with an ice tea. She sat down on the other end of the couch and put her feet up. She grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. "What do you want to watch?"

"Anything," Korra said feeling Asami's feet touch her upper thigh.

Asami patted the couch at her end to get Korra's attention. "Come on... you can get comfortable too."

Korra playfully rolled her eyes and carefully placed her feet up at the other end. "Happy?"

"A little," Asami said flicking through the movie channels. It took her five minutes to settle on one. "I still can't believe you found the Iron Giant.." she utter lowly. It was her favorite movie growing up.

Korra smiled slightly at the thought of it. "I can..." she said to herself. She missed this feeling of hanging out with Asami. Even if it was only for an hour or so. It brought up good memories. Korra's smile soon faded at the thought of what Iroh said earlier. _I don't have any friends..._ She felt bad about it but knew if he just had one like she did there was still hope. "There's still hope..."

Asami heard Korra speak but couldn't understand what she said. "What?"

"What?" Korra countered not knowing she heard her.

"No what did you say?" Asami asked puzzled.

Korra sat up a little and nudged Asami's side with her foot. "I said your fat butt is taking up most of the couch space."

Asami chuckled at that and looked back at the TV. "You love it."

"You wish..." Korra said looking at the TV with a smirk.


	7. Self Defense Stance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra teaches Iroh how to defend himself. Asami asks for help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors Note: Hey guys. I know its been a long wait so how about a long chapter to make up for it eh? It was a lot of work and ground to cover so I hope I did it justice. Bullying is a serious topic and handled in many different ways. So what is said and done in this chapter is mostly from experience. Hope you enjoy. Later Gladiators!

Korra was taking a nap on the couch and began to dream of her last tour. It was slightly different then what actually happened but felt real enough that she started to shift in her sleep. "No..." she murmured in her sleep.

_Gunshots rang out as bullets hit the vehicle her unit was in. She covered the soldier next to her as pieces of metal hit the side of her left leg. She wailed in pain and took out her side arm. Turning to her side window, Korra shot in the direction hitting every assailant she saw. Reloading, she took cover again before aiming back out the window. She stopped when she saw a dark shadow with golden eyes. "The fuck..."_

When her cell phone rang, Korra woke up frantic. She clenched her hand against her chest feeling it beat faster than ever. The phone rang again with her answering it. "Yeah?"

"Hello this is Nurse Reyes from United Republic Academy. I'm calling to speak with Iroh Róngyù III's caretaker..." she said glancing at the fill out sheet of emergency contacts. "Korra Jīngshén?"

"Yes that's me," Korra answered with concern in her voice. She sat up and listened to what the lady had to say. "I'll be there soon," she said hanging up. Looking at the time on the phone it was only 2 in the afternoon. "Shit.."

* * *

Korra arrived at the school 20 minutes later by cab. She headed inside toward the principals office to find out where the nurses office was.

Soon as she reached for the door it opened up with a familiar face holding it open. "Korra!" the young man greeted with a cheerful smile. It was Rohan Gyatso. Principal Tenzin Gyatso youngest son Korra had the privilege of baby sitting back in the day.

"Rohan?" Korra said unsure if it was him or his brother Meelo. Then again Meelo was probably graduating high school by now. She wasn't that good when it came to numbers. "Man I haven't seen you since you were a baby," she said taking his hand and shaking it.

"Yeah its been a while. I think I was three the last time I saw you," He said trying to figure it out himself. Rohan waved it off and pointed her way. "My dad mention you the other day. I wasn't sure if I'd run into you or not."

Korra figured Tenzin would mention it. "Yeah I'm actually here to pick up someone," she said looking around again. She spotted a few kids walking to class with an idea springing to mind. "Do you know an Iroh Róngyù? Lil guy, golden eyes, pint size?" she said giving a brief description.

Rohan remembered his name more than the description. "I don't know him like that but we have a few classes together."

Korra knew what she was gonna ask was a long shot but had to try. "Well if you see him again maybe you two could hang out.," she suggest with a shrug. "Iroh doesn't know any kids in his grade and it would be great if he had someone to turn too," she said giving him a light tap on his arm.

Rohan understood that since Iroh was the youngest kid in there 8th grade class. "Alright. I will," he said with a smile. "I gotta head to class. Great seeing you again!" he said with a wave before walking away.

"You too," Korra replied with a smile.

* * *

Walking into the nurses office, Korra didn't see Iroh or the nurse. Instead she saw a scruffy young kid sitting by the door. She took a seat by him and waited for the nurse to come out.

The kid turned to her with a weird look on his face. He stared at her as if she were a math equation.

Korra felt eyes on her and looked back at the kid with a raised brow. "What?"

"Are you a man or a woman?" he asked in an innocent yet curious tone of voice.

"Excuse me?" Korra asked with a surprised look on her face.

The boy sat up and proceed with his statement. "You're dressed like a man but you sound like a woman," he said pointing at her clothes.

Korra glanced down at her black cargo pants with her brace snug on her left leg and combat boots on her feet. She could see where he got that impression but was still offended. "I'm a woman," she simply answered.

The boy looked her up and down and didn't believe her. "Whatever you say..." he said under his breath.

"You littl-" Korra was about to start until the door opened.

A woman came in and up to the young boy. "Ready to go sweetheart?"

Korra figured it was the kids mother and smiled slightly. "Are you the boys mother?" When the mother said yes. Korra sighed in relief. "Thank the spirits you're here now. Your son has been dropping the F bomb for the past ten minutes," she said flat out lying.

"No I wasn't!" The boy yelled out in shock.

"I mean he said some things I didn't even know you could combined in a sentence. I might have to wash my ears out when I get home," Korra said as if it was a matter-of-fact.

The mother yanked her son by the arm out of the chair. "I'm going to wash your mouth out with soap when you get home!" she said reprimanding him. "And don't even think about playing any video games for the next month," she said leading him out the door.

Korra snickered to herself when they left the room.

Iroh came out of the back room a few seconds later with the nurse. Korra saw him holding his side. He sat down in a near by chair with his eyes glued to the floor.

Korra stood up and came up to the nurses desk. "What happened?"

Nurse Reyes scribbled a few notes on her pad before answering Korra. "Iroh came in with abdominal pain. He claims its from something he ate at lunch," she said looking over at him.

"It is," Iroh uttered lowly.

Korra caught his eyes for a second before he looked back down at the floor. She noticed his arms were wrapped around his stomach but his hand underneath was touching the right side of his ribs. "You got everything you need from your classes?" she asked in case he had homework he needed to pick up.

Iroh kept his head down but gave her a nod for an answer.

"Alright. Lets go," she said pointing at the door. Korra looked back at the nurse and thanked her. Iroh got up from his seat and reached for his book bag. Korra took it before he could grab it. "I got it," she said slinging it over her shoulder. She opened up the door and held her hand out for him to go first. "After you."

"Thanks..." he uttered before walking out of the room.

Korra followed him with a concerned look on her face. _What is going on._

* * *

Asami came back from lunch with Fae and began to check her emails. Everything was normal until she saw one from the fire nation. Clicking it, she saw it was from Izumi. It was a 10 page document about the perks of being in the fire nation. It was almost as if it were a power point presentation. It showed the schools, the culture, the food and everything else there was to see in there high society lifestyle. At the bottom there was a large font reminder of how their current situation wouldn't last them long financially. At the end there was a post script that said: _This is what is best for Iroh and his future. - I._ _Róngyù._

Taking a deep breath, Asami refrained from flipping over her desk. She knew she would have to keep her cool in the work place. With Kuvira breathing down they're necks all the time this was an added bonus of stress she didn't need. She knew there was only one person who could help her in this situation.

Getting up from her desk, Asami quickly grabbed her jacket to head back out.

"What's wrong?" Fae asked still eating her fruit cup.

Asami looked over at Kuvira's office and back to Fae. "Can you cover for me?"

Fae sat up in her seat unsure if she could. "For how long?"

"A half an hour at most," Asami said grabbing her keys.

"I'll do my best," Fae said knowing how unpredictable Kuvira could be.

Asami thanked her and headed back out of the office.

* * *

Across the street, Asami entered a coffee shop. She got a table in the back and took her laptop out of her bag. The wifi was pretty decent where she was. She logged into her video chat messenger and waited. After a few minutes it went through. "Hey. I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Zuko looked into the computer screen to close to the camera. "Oh no you're not," he said reaching for his glasses. He placed them on and looked at the screen again. "How are you and Iroh doing?" he asked with a tender smile.

"We're doing good. Iroh's still adjusting to it all," she said with a faint smile that resembled some sort of hope. It was turning more into anxiety the more she thought of it and the things Izumi said.

"That's good," Zuko commented. He saw the look on her face and adjusted his glasses. "What's on your mind?"

Asami wasn't sure how to address the reason why she called so she let it all out at once. "Izumi. Your daughter wants to take Iroh to the fire nation," she said with frustration in her tone.

Zuko face lit up into a cheerful smile. "For a visit!"

Asami shook her head no. "For good... and without me."

Zuko's excitement brewed down after that. "I see.." he said getting the whole picture now. "I'll have a talk with her okay," he said to assure his granddaughter. Even through marriage he still claimed Asami as if she were his own flesh and blood unlike his daughter who was too stubborn to do so.

"Thank you," Asami said feeling a bit better she had someone on her side.

"You're welcome," he said seeing the screen lag a bit. He waited it out and spoke up before it went out again. "Call me again when you can. I'd love to speak with my great grandson," he said with a thumbs up.

Asami smiled softly at that. "I will."

Zuko raised his hand as if to say goodbye and then looked for the button to end the call.

Asami waited not wanting to hang up first in case he had more to say. "Its the red button with the tell phone image," she said pointing down.

"Where?" Zuko said looking all over the screen. "Oh here I got it." he said pressing it.

Asami exited out of the application and closed her computer. She felt a bit better and hoped Zuko could talk to Izumi to get her to back off.

* * *

Korra opened the door to the apartment and let Iroh in first. She walked in after him and locked the door behind her. "You sure you don't want to take anything for your stomach pain?" she asked placing his book bag down by the couch.

"No thank you," he politely declined. Backing away slowly, Iroh headed in the direction of his room. "I'm just gonna lay down for a while," he said pointing behind him.

Korra didn't want to bother him if he wasn't feeling well but still felt as if something was off. "Alright well if you need anything I'll be right here," she gestured at the living room.

Iroh knew she meant well and gave her a smile through the pain. "Thanks," he said before turning around to head toward his room.

Once inside his room, Iroh shut the door closed and walked up to his bed. He pulled his shirt up and saw a small bruise on the right side of his stomach. It stung when he poked it. He knew he couldn't let his mother see it. "Hmm..." he hummed getting an idea.

Iroh sat on his bed and pulled off his shoes. He placed them underneath his bed and stood up. He took off his blazer and laid it at the edge of his bed. He then began to tip toe toward the door. Slowly opening it, Iroh poked his head out to look down the hall. He could see the edge of the couch but no Korra in sight. _Yes._ He came out of his room as quietly as he could and headed to his mother's room.

Korra was in the kitchen about to prepare lunch when she heard something.

Iroh came into his mother's room and closed the door slowly. He walked up to her dresser and went through her make up. _Its one of these._ He picked up the one she used for her face and smiled. He lifted up his shirt and began to apply it to his stomach the same way she did to her face. It was coming out more clunky than expected. When he heard a noise, he pulled his shirt down quickly and held the make up behind his back.

Korra opened up the bedroom door seeing Iroh standing next to his mother's dresser. "What are you doing?"

Iroh gulped trying to think of something. "I left a book in here the other day."

Korra stared at him for a moment or so and noticed the tension in his shoulders and his unsteady breathing. "What are you really doing in here?" she asked again with a raised brow.

Iroh looked down with a sigh and took the make up from behind his back and handed it to her.

Korra took it and raised a brow. "I'm not going to judge you or anything but what are you using it for?" she asked holding it up.

"I don't want to say..." Iroh answered feeling ashamed of himself.

Korra placed the product back on the dresser and knelled down in front of him. "Whatever it is," she said placing her hand on his shoulder. "You can tell me."

Iroh looked up at her with his bottom lip quivering. He wasn't trying to cry and wouldn't. He stopped himself by taking a deep breath. "If I tell you, you can't say anything to anyone not even my mom," he said a bit fearful that she would.

Korra took a second to answer to put things into perspective. One: the kid was finally opening up to her. Two: It was something big enough he didn't want his mom to know. She knew how vulnerable he was being right now and wanted to help. "Okay."

"You promise?" Iroh asked with a worried look on his face.

Korra nodded her head with her eyes locked on his. "Promise," she agreed holding her pinky finger up. He looked at her hand and locked his pinky around hers. When he let go, she gestured for him to continue.

Iroh stayed silent at first but started to speak softly. "I wasn't really sick today... but my stomach was hurting for another reason," he said feeling at the bottom of his shirt.

"What reason is that?" Korra asked now getting an idea of what he was using the make up for.

Iroh took a breath before slowly lifting his shirt to show her the bruise. It was a dark reddish color he couldn't tell if it was purple or not.

Korra's jaw tighten at the sight as a frown came to her face. She covered her mouth for a second before dropping her hand and her expression to a more calm one. "How'd it happen?" she said wanting answers.

Iroh thought about what happened after gym class.

_In the locker room, Iroh finished changing back into his uniform and went to grab his book bag._

_Hundan snatched it from him and started looking through it. "There's nothing in here but a bunch of unless junk," he said tossing one of Iroh's folders out of his bag._

_Papers began to fly everywhere. "I need that back," Iroh said reaching for his book bag._

_Hundan held it out from his reach. "I'll give it to you," he said zipping it back up. "Here," he said swinging it around and hitting Iroh hard in his stomach with it. He hit the lockers hard it made an indent in them._

_"What's going on here?" The coach asked coming up to them._

_Hundan stepped back from Iroh. "He fell. I was trying to help him up."_

_The coach eyed Hundan knowing he was probably lying but since there was papers scattered all over the floor he assumed it was true. "Clean this up," he said to the both of them before heading back to his office._

_Iroh held on to his book bag trying not to cry._

_"You heard the coach," Hundan said with a chuckle before walking away._

_Iroh slid down to the floor and took slow breaths to ease the pain._

"Roh?" Korra called out causing him to snap out of it. "What happened?"

Iroh didn't want Korra to worry and he didn't want to lie either so he told part of the truth. "Someone handed me my book bag and the textbook inside hit my stomach," he explained hoping she'd buy it.

Korra tried to keep her face neutral but it was hard to do. Her left eye began to squint a bit. "How did they hand it to you?" she said wanting specifics and even a demonstration if possible.

Iroh shook his head. "I wasn't really paying attention when they did," he said hoping the line of questions ended there.

Korra knew that was an excuse but couldn't call him on it. She didn't know what to do. If Iroh had a bully his mother needed to know. If she told Asami it would violate the trust she was starting to build with him. It was a double edged sword. She knew she had to approach this delicately. "So it was an accident?" she asked for him to clarify it.

"Yeah," Iroh answered without hesitation.

"Then why cover it up if it was an accident?" Korra said countering his answer.

Iroh didn't think of that. "I didn't want mom to worry..."

Korra understood that but pressed on it a bit more. "Why would she worry if it was just an accident?" she mention as she gestured to his shirt. "If you explain it to her like you did for me I'm sure she'd understand..." she said seeing his expression become more anxious. "Unless it was on purpose," she said waiting for his answer.

Iroh wasn't sure what to say so he stayed silent.

"So which one is it. An accident or on purpose?" Korra asked him in a calm manner.

Iroh looked down in defeat. "On purpose..."

Korra sighed heavily and stood up slowly. "You gotta tell your mom."

Iroh looked up at her in a panic. "Please don't tell! You promised you wouldn't!" he said scared.

"I didn't say I would but I think you should," she said knowing he would react this way. Korra didn't want to betray his trust so she encouraged him to do it himself. "If you want this to stop you need to let her know."

Iroh shook his head no. "I can't."

Korra knew why he didn't want to tell her. It was a lot on her plate already but he was too young to worry about things like that. Then again she did the same at his age when it came to her parents. "Then do something about it," she said challenging him.

Iroh looked at her confused. "What can I do?" he said not sure what she meant.

"Defend yourself," Korra said before walking out of the room.

"How?" Iroh asked as he followed her into the living room.

Korra began to move the coffee table out of the way. "Brains or Brawn," she said taking a seat on the couch. She stretched her leg out and began to take off her brace. "I usually prefer both," she said placing it on the side of the couch before standing up again.

"What are you doing?" Iroh asked with a clueless look on his face.

"Gonna see what you're made of," Korra said sizing him up. "What are you like four foot something?"

Iroh was getting more confused by the minute. "Yes."

Korra came up to him and bend back down to his level. "Don't be scared. Last thing I'm gonna do is hurt you," she said placing her hands on his shoulders. "Just want to know where you're at okay?" she said knowing he was confused by it all.

"Okay," Iroh said with a nod.

"Good," Korra said standing up again. She walked back toward the couch and turned around to face him again. "Because there are certain ways to deal with a bully and I'm gonna show you all of them."

Iroh gulped at her statement.

Korra knew she would have to explain it all before actually showing. "Now, one thing you got on the physical side of things is speed," she said remembering how fast he ran at the paintball field. "We're gonna work on that."

_On Tuesday, Iroh started running after Korra in the park._

_Korra had a slight advantage since she was riding a bike. "I'm picking up speed!" she said pedaling faster with a chuckle._

_Iroh didn't want to get left behind so he pushed himself to run faster behind her._

_Korra could see he was keeping up. "First one to the water fountain is a rotten egg!"_

_With that the two raced toward the fountain._

Korra put her index finger up to her temple, "on the mental side you're a pretty precocious kid," she said before pointing at him. "But you need to face your fears which means speaking up for yourself and others," she said knowing he had it in him. She could see it since the day they met. It was another thing he had gotten from his mother.

_On Wednesday, Iroh and Korra were next to ring up in line at the grocery store._

_A man on his cellphone cut in line in front of them._

_Korra was about to say something but instead bend down and whispered into Iroh's ear._

_Iroh took a deep breath and cleared his throat. "Excuse me sir," he said looking up at the man._

_The guy didn't even look his way. Instead complained on the phone about wanting to get out of here._

_Korra tapped Iroh's shoulder lightly to get his attention. "Louder."_

_Iroh looked up at Korra and gave her a nod. He took another breath before projecting his voice. "Excuse me sir!" he shouted getting his attention as well as others around. "I was here first," he said with a gulp._

_The man laughed at Iroh until he saw Korra scolding him with a look that could kill. He cleared his throat and fixed his tie. "Sorry..." he said to the young boy before heading to the back of the line._

_Iroh was surprised it worked and looked back at Korra with a smile._

_Korra gave him a thumbs up as the employee at the register began to ring their items up._

"And when you do you gotta stick by your principals and mean it no matter what," she said knowing it was easier said then done. It wasn't enough to just say it he had to mean it. Have that belief in him to where if knocked down he'd get right back up again.

Iroh was starting to understand what she meant. "I will."

_On Thursday, Iroh and Mya were on the lunch line at school with their trays in hand._

_Mya was about to reach for the last chocolate milk when someone else took it. "Hey!" she said as the other boy laughed._

_"You snooze you lose," he said to justify it._

_"She had it first," Iroh said with a frown._

_The boy looked at Iroh as if he were crazy. "What did you say?" he said getting in Iroh's face._

_Iroh felt like his space was invaded. Despite that anxiety ready to take him down, he stuck out his chest and looked him in the eye. "I said she had it first," he repeated without hesitation._

_The boy saw Iroh wasn't cowering away and rolled his eyes. "Man whatever I didn't want it anyway," he said tossing the milk back on the stand._

_Iroh picked it up and saw it wasn't busted open. "Here," he said handing it to Mya._

_Mya took it with a smile. "Thanks Iroh."_

"Don't let what people say phase you. You know who you are and don't need their approval of who you're going to be," she said having that out look on life for years. She couldn't give a flying fudge bits what people thought of her only those who she loved and respected.

_After lunch, Iroh was in his study block reading a book. He wanted to finish it so he could go to the library and pick up the next one before going home._

_Some kids across the room were laughing at him. "Look at the bookworm," one said._

_"Yeah what a nerd," the other commented with a chuckle._

_Iroh heard what they said and ignored them._

_The students continued to talk about him and laugh._

_Iroh looked up from his book and over at them. He stared at them for a few seconds before smiling at them. He turned his attention back to his book now amused by their actions. It didn't make any sense. All he knew was his grades were at the top of his class because he continued to apply himself. So being called book worm or a nerd was more of a compliment than an insult._

Korra began to pace a bit. "Now I know this isn't a popular opinion but evade or avoid until the time is right," she said meaning the bully who was picking on him.

_On Friday, Iroh was walking toward his locker when he saw Hundan and his friends down the hall goofing around. As soon as they locked eyes, Iroh walked in the opposite direction._

"And when it is. You let your physical and mental attributes speak for themselves," she said with a bright smile.

_Hundan began to follow Iroh around the corner with his friends._

_Iroh heard their footsteps getting closer and walked up. He came up to a room he saw the principal go into a few minutes ago. He pulled the fire alarm next to it and ran._

_Hundan saw Iroh running and ran after him._

_Tenzin came out of the room seeing Hundan and some other boys running away._

_Iroh ran as fast as he could and got into the stairwell. He ran down the stairs and jumped down the last three steps._

_Hundan was headed toward the stairwell until the principal cut off their pathway._

_"You are all in big trouble!" Tenzin shouted with a scold on his face so deep he was turning a bit red._

Korra stopped pacing and stood in front of him again. "Until then we're going to work on building up you're spiritual well being," she said taking a seat on the floor.

Iroh sat down on the floor as well. "What are we doing?"

"You stress to much for a boy your age," Korra said crossing her legs. She rested her hands on her kneecaps and continued. "You need to learn to keep cool and stay calm."

"How do I do that?" Iroh asked mimicking her sitting position.

Korra smiled at the fact he was taking an interest. "Close your eyes and focus on your breathing."

Iroh followed her direction and closed his eyes. He focused on his breathing. After a few minutes he was starting to feel a bit better.

Korra watched as he was getting the hang of it and closed her eyes to join him in mediation.

* * *

Asami came home after work to find Korra and Iroh on the floor building a model car on the coffee table.

"That piece goes there," Iroh said pointing near the dashboard.

"Right there?" Korra asked as she placed the small steering wheel piece in place. She could barely see out of the magnifying glass they had.

Both were so caught up, they didn't even notice Asami was standing there. Until she cleared her throat that is. "What's this?"

Iroh looked up at his mom with a smile. "A 1970 baby blue oldsmobile 442 Holiday coupe classic," he said all in one swoop.

Asami looked at the half finished model and smiled. "That is a classic."

"We're almost done. I think," Korra said since they had went through so many pieces already.

Iroh chuckled at her assumption. "Barely, we're just getting started!" he said with a smile.

Korra had a small look of horror on her face but smiled through it. "Awesome."

Asami knew how stressful it could be building a model car from scratch specially for a first timer. "Well you'll have to finish it another day because its time for bed," she said hearing a series of groans from her only child.

"Fine..." Iroh said a bit disappointed. He got up and began to put everything away.

Korra helped him place the model car back into it's box. "Here you go," she said handing him the instructions.

Iroh took it and tucked it underneath his armpit. "I'll put it in my room for safe keeping," he said walking back into his room with the box and magnifying glass stand.

Korra stood up when Iroh went into his room. She came up to Asami who was in the kitchen. "Hey can we talk when you get a chance?" she said knowing Asami had a ritual whenever she came home.

"Sure," Asami said taking her left overs out of the fridge.

Iroh came back into the living room with a yawn. "Night mom," he said now feeling sleepy.

Asami came up to him and gave him a hug. "Night baby," she said holding him tight.

Iroh felt a surge of pain from it and groan.

Asami pulled back and looked at him concerned. "What's wrong?"

Iroh felt as if he had been caught and started to panic. "Ah... nothing. I'm just tired," he said looking over at Korra for help.

"Yeah its been a long day," Korra said leaving it as that.

Asami understood since she had the same herself. "Then get some rest sweetheart," she said kissing him on the forehead.

Iroh smiled and kissed his moms cheek. "I will," he said giving her a much lighter hug than before. He pulled away and came up to Korra. "Goodnight Korra."

"Goodnight little guy," Korra said ruffling the top of his hair with her hand.

Iroh chuckled at that and moved his head. When he saw her clearly he wrapped his arms around her midsection to give her a hug.

Korra was surprised at that and placed her hand on his back. She looked up at Asami who was smiling at the two.

Iroh pulled away and smiled at Korra before heading back to his room for the night.

When he left the room, Korra wasn't sure what to do. She was still thinking about telling Asami what happen but the kid trusted her. It was a hard call to make and it was written all over her face.

Asami came up to Korra and placed her hand on her shoulder. "It was just a hug," she said with a smile before walking back into the kitchen.

Korra snapped out of it and gave her a nod. "I know that," she said waving it off. She watched as her friend warmed up her food. "Hey I a-" she started to say only to be cut off.

"I have a dilemma," Asami mention as she took her food out of the microwave.

"What's that?" Korra asked taking a seat on the couch again.

Asami placed her food on the counter and began to mix it up. "Well Iroh's grandmother sent me an email about the benefits of being in the fire nation," she said stirring pretty hard. "How she put in a good word at the school his father went too and how I should consider it now before the new semester starts," she said with a bit of aggression. She stopped stirring and took a minute to calm down.

Korra knew that must have been annoying to receive at work.

Asami came back into the living room and sat next to Korra with her food on her lap. "So I called Zuko to ask him to speak with her but I'm not sure if that will make it better or worse," she said taking a bite of her spaghetti. "What do you think I should do?"

Korra wasn't sure what to say to all that. It was a tough predicament to be in when it came to family pushing their views on how one should live. "Its not much you can do," she said in all honesty. "Sure Izumi has some pull here and there but its not enough to separate you from your son," she said placing her hand on her shoulder. The look on Asami's face showed Korra how scared she was of it coming true. "Its not going to happen," she said in a bit more stern voice. "All that is is talk. That's all," she assured with a squeeze to her shoulder.

Asami gave her a nod and quietly ate her food for a while. "Wait, what did you want to talk to me about?" she asked remembering Korra wanted to talk to her first.

"Oh its nothing," Korra said not wanting to bring it up now. "I just wanted to know if you had an extra... pillow?"

Asami arched a brow at Korra wondering if that's what she really wanted to ask. "I do have one. I'll get it," she said getting up and taking her plate with her. She went into the kitchen and rinsed off her dish before putting it in the dishwasher. "I'll be right back," she said heading toward her room.

Korra watched as she walked down the hall. "Thanks," she said with a smile. It faded when she was out of sight. "Dammit..." she uttered under her breath. She wanted to slap herself for even thinking about bringing it up. It was too much going on right now. _Maybe when things cool down.._

"Got it," Asami said coming back into the room with a new pillow in hand.

Korra sat up and smiled again. "Thanks," she said taking it as it was handed to her.

Asami reached into her back pocket and took out her wallet as Korra fixed her pillow on the couch. "Here," she said taking out a few yuans. "I wanted to thank you for all you done for me."

Korra looked at the money and then to Asami with a puzzled expression.

"Its all I could afford right now," she said waiting for her to take it. Asami would give her more when she got her next check.

Korra's expression changed to a deadpan one. "No thanks," she said turning in her seat to lay down on the couch.

Asami wasn't sure what the problem was. "But you've been watching Iroh for a while. I want to compensate you for it," she said still holding the money out for her to take.

"Free room and board is compensation enough," Korra said gesturing to the living room. She looked up at Asami with sleepy eyes. "I don't want your money."

Asami dropped her hand to her side and sighed. She placed it back into her pocket and bent down to Korra's level. "Why are you so stubborn?"

Korra shrugged her shoulders. "Why are you so persistent?"

They both stared at each other before Asami gave in. "I just want to do something for you," she said placing her hand on Korra's forearm.

"You did with this cool side of the pillow," Korra said with a smile.

Asami shook her head with a giggle and stood up. "Goodnight Korra," she said ready to walk away.

Before she could, Korra gently grabbed her hand. "Sami?" she said looking up at her.

Asami looked back down at Korra with a raised a brow. "Hmm?"

Korra looked her in the eyes and shook her head. "Nothing..." she said before letting her hand go.

Asami smiled and kissed her own hand before pressing it to Korra's forehead. "Night," she said again before leaving the room.

Korra sighed as she looked up at the ceiling. "Night."

* * *

That Friday morning, Asami was driving Iroh to school ten minutes early.

Iroh looked out the window knowing they'd be there soon. "Mom?" he said getting her attention. "Did you ever have a bully?" he asked wanting her opinion. All week he had tried his best to take Korra's advice but wanted to know what his mom thought on the subject.

Asami raised a brow at his question and grew concerned by the second. "Why do you have one?"

"No no I don't!" Iroh quickly dismissed. "We're learning about it in school." He then pressed on the subject. "I just wanted to know if you ever had to deal with one."

Asami looked at him for a second and back to the road. "I didn't really have to with Korra around."

"Is that how you became friends?" Iroh asked out of curiosity.

Asami smiled softly at the thought of it. "Something like that."

* * *

After dropping Iroh off at school, Asami drove straight to Opal's house before work. She needed a second opinion on her situation. "I really don't know what I'm going to do."

"That's harassment is what it is," Opal said fixing up lunch for the kids.

"Or an overbearing and caring grandmother," Asami uttered into her cup of coffee.

Opal could see how much that old hags words bothered her. "Grandpa Zuko might not hold her off for long. You might need to fight fire with fire," she said putting the apple juice back in the fridge. "No pun intended," she said with a smile.

Asami shook her head at her friends words. "How am I gonna do that?"

"Talk to a lawyer," Opal suggested as she took a sip of juice.

"I don't want to do all that," Asami said feeling weird about it.

Opal finished off her drink wanting another one. Those kids were wearing her out. "Getting some legal options on how to handle this situation isn't a bad thing. Its a smart one," she said looking through one of the draws. She took a card out of one and handed it to Asami. "Here. Its a card of a lawyer Bolin and Mako used once."

Asami took the card and read the name on it. "Wu Hou-Ting?"

"Its better than nothing," Opal said now drinking one of San's juice boxes. "What?"

* * *

Iroh was so excited to tell Korra what happened. He had finally taken Hundan down. It was just like Korra predicted. His wit and quickness would be his best assets. When the bell rang, he raced down the hallway and out the main doors to tell her.

Korra was outside leaning against a light pole like usual. She always got there a half an hour earlier then most of the parents.

Iroh came out of the building a few seconds later spotting Korra by the light post. "Korra!" he shouted running down the stairs.

Korra heard her name and looked up seeing Iroh running to her. "Hey man," she said as he stopped in front of her. "You alright?" she asked since he was out of breath.

Iroh took a few seconds to catch his breath. He looked up at her with a smile. "I am now," he said full of pride. "You would not believe what I just did," he said with excitement in his voice.

"You dissected a frog in biology?" Korra randomly guessed.

"I wish," Iroh said with a chuckle. He then shook his head trying to get back on topic. "But that's not it," he said tugging the bottom of her shirt. He then waved for her to bend down to his level. When she did, He whispered to her. "I finally got Hundan back," he said in the most discreet way possible.

Korra looked at him slightly confused. "Who?"

Iroh forgot she didn't know his name. "Hundan," he whispered again. He then looked around to make sure no one was listening to them. "The bully..."

"Oh!" Korra said standing up straight again. "Wait you did?"

Iroh gave her a nod as they began to walk down the street. "I did," he said proud of himself. "I led him into a trap and when he got close enough I pulled the fire alarm and ran for it," he said wishing he could see the look on his face. "The principal caught him and put him in detention or something," he said unsure of what kind of punishment he got for it.

Korra walked beside him in shock. "I'm surprised you came up with something like that," she said impressed for the most part. The only problem with it was the repercussions after all was said and done. She stopped walking and touched his arm to get his attention. "You know that's not what I meant right?" she asked wanting to straighten out some things.

Iroh looked at her a bit clueless. "What do you mean?"

Korra could see the confusion on his face and bend down to his level. "What if it backfires on you?" she asked wanting to know if he thought it through.

"Well what did you want me to do?" Iroh asked a bit upset. He did exactly what she told him to do.

Korra stood up again and sighed. She could see how he would get confused. "Look standing up for yourself with words is one thing," she said knowing this next part would have to be phased a certain way. "But there is going to come a time were it would be another," she said holding up her fist.

Iroh knew what she meant and nodded. He knew Hundan would probably retaliate and in the moment he didn't care. He was taking it as a victory but now it was bittersweet.

"Are you ready for that?" Korra asked in a serious tone. She could tell he was thinking about it.

Iroh looked up at her with determination on his face. "I'm ready," he said with a nod.

Korra had a small smile creep up on her face at that. "Okay. Come on," she said tapping his shoulder for him to follow her.

There was a gym not to far from the school. They had always passed it on the bus ride home.

Korra walked Iroh inside of the building and up to the small office in the corner. "Wait here," she said to him before knocking on the door.

A woman with shades opened up the door a few seconds later. "What?"

"You got any gear I could use?" Korra asked with Iroh behind her.

The owner of the establishment eyed Korra for a split second. "For what?"

Korra smirked at the slight hostility. "For him," she said gesturing to Iroh behind her.

The owner looked over at Iroh and back at Korra. "Yeah I got it," she said stepping out of her office. "Follow me," she said walking toward the storage area.

"Come on," Korra said to Iroh following the woman.

Iroh looked around seeing how intense it was. He followed both women and spotted the banner on the wall near a ring that read: Crystal's Gym.

After receiving the gear, Korra paid the woman and helped Iroh put it on. "You alright?" she asked again.

Iroh adjusted his head gear and nodded since he had his mouth piece in. He had a red tanktop, black boxing shorts, a red groin protector and black boxing shoes on.

Korra helped him adjust the head gear on his head and smiled. He really wanted to do this. "Come on," she said walking to the ring with the rest of the stuff in hand. She helped him in by raising up the second rope.

Iroh got inside of the ring and stood to the side.

"Go ahead do a lap. Get a fill of the ring," she suggested as she tossed his gloves on the floor. Korra placed a vest over her chest for safety reasons gone over briefly by the owner of the gym.

Iroh walked around the ring and felt the surface beneath his feet was a bit bouncy.

Korra watched him and chuckled. "Here," she said ready to put his gloves on.

Iroh came over and held his hands out. He watched carefully as she placed the gloves on his hands. It felt as if he had huge mittens on his hands.

Korra placed her own flat punching mitts on her hands. "I would have gotten you some shin guards but that probably would have been too much huh?" she said with a smile.

"Its lighter than the paintball gear," Iroh commented with a smile of his own.

"True," she agreed with a chuckle. Korra held her hands up for him to hit. "Let's begin."

* * *

Asami left work earlier than usual since Kuvira was out for the day. She would have went straight home but decided to check out the lawyer Opal mention to her. He had a great track record based on the reviews on his website. It was worth a shot to try.

Wu heard a knock on his door and looked up from his computer screen. "Come in," he said thinking it was his receptionist.

Asami opened the door and peaked her head inside. "Is this Hou-Ting's office?"

"It is. Who are you?" Wu asked directing a question at her.

"Asami Róngyù," she replied.

Wu realized who she was and waved her in. "Come in. Bolin told me you might be coming in this week," he said standing to his feet. He shook her hand and gestured for her to have a seat. "He's a pretty funny dude," he said remembering when he worked for him and his brother. "So how can I help you today?"

Asami took a seat unsure where to start. "Well I have this family member who is threatening to take my child away," she said as he began to type on his computer.

"Be more specific. Like who, what, where, when, why," he stated wanting her to go in depth.

"Right," she agreed. Asami had told this story so many times already it was starting to get tiresome. "My son's grandmother is the one who is constantly bothering me about it," she said as he continued to type.

Wu hummed as he typed and looked back at Asami. "Where's the father in all this?"

Asami heard his question and got quiet for a second before responding. "Um. Deceased," she answered. "It started after his funeral," she added.

Wu stopped typing and looked at her shocked. "Really? Wow. Its his mother right?" he asked trying to clarify who was who.

Asami nodded her head. "Yes."

"So its the mother in law threatening to take your son away. In what way and how often?" Wu asked as he sat back in his seat.

"I received a few emails regarding it beside the face to face we had that day," she said recalling it. Asami was tired of Izumi's bullshit and hoped this Wu fellow could help her if Zuko couldn't.

Wu was tallying up the situation in his head. "So one altercation and a few emails. What did the emails say specifically?"

Asami reached into her jacket pocket and took out her phone. She brought up the last email she got and handed him her phone.

Wu took her phone and scrolled through it. He read some of it and didn't find any key words that would be consider threatening. "This doesn't prove much," he said handing her back her phone.

"What do you mean it doesn't prove anything," Asami said taking her phone back.

"When I say threats I mean by force not suggestion. All this shows is a concerned grandmother suggesting you do what she considers is 'best' for your son," he said using air quotes. Wu shook his hand gesturing to her phone. "Its really not much you can do except ignore her."

Asami put her phone back in her pocket and shook her head in disappointment. "Isn't this some form of harassment?" she said knowing it had to be something he could do.

Wu gestured a so-so kind of deal with his hand. "Not really. I mean sure you could block her or get a restraining order if it was like a thousand emails and phone calls a day regarding this issue but its not," he explained the best way he could. He had dealt with situations like this before and this was very minor compared to most.

"She keeps implying that's she's going to take my son from me!" Asami said becoming sick of this bullshit. "What am I suppose to just sit back and let it happen?!"

"No not at all," Wu said in a calm tone. "As a matter of fact quite the opposite."

Asami didn't mean to lash out at him. It was just a stressful topic of conversation. "Then what am I suppose to do?" she asked in a much calmer tone of voice.

Wu didn't have much advice that would be useful in this case but answered anyhow. "Keep taking care of your son. Is he healthy?" he asked seeing her nod. "Doing good in school?" she nodded again. "Staying out of trouble?" another nod. "Then you have nothing to worry about," he said exiting out of the word document. "She's putting these suggestions out there because that's all she can do. Its to spook you at the thought that it is possible for him to be there without you," he said noticing how that email didn't imply her at all. "She's trying to sucker you in. My advice. Don't let her," he said standing up.

Asami stood up when he did. "Thank you," she said extending her hand to him.

Wu took her hand and shook it again. "No prob, sorry I couldn't be of more help," he said walking her to the door. He opened it up for her.

Asami was about to walk out and stopped. "Sorry for lashing out at you like that," she said sincerely.

"Its fine. Just don't give her a reason to blow something minor way out of proportion," he said leaving her with one more tip to follow.

"I won't. Thanks," she said before walking out the door. Asami knew what she had to do now. She felt a bit better but still worried in the back of her mind.

* * *

Korra stayed in the ring with Iroh practicing some of the basics. He was good for a beginner but had a lot to learn. She still couldn't believe he actually got his bully in trouble. It was a brilliant move. One that she would definitely compare to something his mother would do back in the day. He was truly a remarkable kid.

After an hour or so they took a well deserved break. Iroh got out of the ring and pulled off his head gear. He took a few deep breaths until Korra handed him a bottle of water from the vending machine. "Thanks," he said taking a sip.

"Your welcome," she said taking a seat next to him on a bench. Korra took a swig of her own water and stretched out her left leg.

Iroh sat there thinking on what to do. He wasn't sure if he wanted to fight anyone. Sure he wanted to protect himself but to hit someone or hurt them didn't sit right with him. "I'm not sure I can do this..."

Korra heard what Iroh said and figured that much. It was a lot for him to take in right now but good for him to learn. "I know but its a good fall back if it ever came down to it," she said trying to give him a different perspective.

"I guess so..." he said not seeing it that way. He sat there quiet for a minute and thought of something he wanted to ask her. "What did your parents say when you had a bully?"

Korra chuckled at his question since they always gave her a simple answer. "If someone hits you, you hit them back."

Iroh had a stunned look on his face. It was a very blunt strategy that made him wonder how effective it was.

Korra didn't expect nothing less in response. "That's the basic logic they had," she said with a shrug. "Its much more than that now, y'know," she said remembering the newfeeds she'd read pertaining to internet bullying. The extend people went to, to make others feel less than human was appalling. "But you need to have tough skin to survive in this world or it will eat you alive," she said rephrasing what she was taught. She then thought of something and tapped him lightly on the kneecap. "You know what helps?" she asked with a small smile.

"What?" Iroh asked curiously.

"Good friends, specially ones that will have your back no matter what," Korra said taking a swig of her water again. She put the cap back on the bottle and sat it down on the floor. "If you have just one person who will stand for you," she said pointing near his heart. "Its the greatest feeling in the world," she said knowing from experience. It was a lot of situations she would have been lost in if it wasn't for Asami or her spotter.

Iroh immediately thought of Mya and how she spoke up for him on more than one occasion. She was always nice and sweet. He smiled a bit thinking about her.

Korra saw the look on his face and nudged him lightly on his arm. "You have someone like that?"

"Yeah I think I do," he said thinking of Korra as well.

Korra smiled at that. She was grateful the kid had more than one person to turn too.

Iroh then thought of what he asked his mother early this morning and looked to Korra. "Was that what it was like for you and my mom?" he said curious about their friendship.

"Yes and no," Korra answered vaguely. She saw the confusion on his face and decided to elaborate. "Alright look," she said turning to face him more. "You wanna know how we met right?"

Iroh nodded his head yes very quickly.

Korra wasn't sure how to explain it so she started from the beginning. "Well when me and your mom first met we were in the gymanisim," she said thinking back on it. "I was new to the school and always on the fence for some reason," she said remembering how it felt. "Then I saw your mother from across the room looking at me funny," she said gesturing to her face. "Being from the south I took offense and a..." she said unsure how he was going to take this next part. "We a.. we got into a fight," she said looking him in the eye.

Iroh jaw dropped with an outraged expression. "You fought my mom?"

"Yeah it was a misunderstanding," Korra said with a shrug. It wasn't a big deal now but at the time it was what it was. "I thought she was eye balling me when really she was looking for her glasses," she said with an amused expression. It was kind of funny the more she thought about it. "We had a parent teacher conference over the phone since our parents couldn't be there," she said not finding that as amusing. It was a long time ago but certain things still bothered her. The school had different guildelines back then to what they have now. "The principal thought it was a good idea to pair us up in the same room to get us to become friends," she said remembering Tenzin's proposal. "Since then we were inseperable," she said remembering when they first roomed together. It took a while but eventually they became best friends because of that one incident.

Iroh sat there quietly and listened. He realized why his mom and Korra avoided that question for so long.

Korra saw Iroh was in deep thought over it and interrupted. "It may not be the same with this kid," she said reffering to his bully. What happened with her and Asami occured once. From what Korra assumed, this wasn't Iroh's first time dealing with this kid and after today it wouldn't be his last. "You don't need to understand why he's picking on you. You just need to know he has no right too," she said a bit more aggressive than intended. She could still see that bruise he had in her mind. It pissed her off. "You have every right to defend yourself. If not this," she said picking up one of his gloves. "You could always speak up. Tell your teacher. Tell your mom. Tell anyone with ears," she said flicking her own earlop. "And it will stop."

Iroh wasn't sure if telling anyone would make it stop or make it worse. What he did know was he was tired of it all.

"You ready to go?" Korra asked gesturing toward the door.

Iroh shook his head no and stood up from his seat. "I'm ready to continue," he said picking up his head gear.

Korra stood up when he did. "You sure?" she said not wanting to put more pressure on him.

Iroh looked her straight in the eye and nodded. "I am," he said placing the headgear on his head. He picked up his gloves and walked over to the ring again. "Can you show me that stance again?"

Korra was surprised but saw the determination on his face and smiled. "Sure," she agreed and helped him back into the ring.


	8. Double Play Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Korra and Iroh hang out with Mya and her older sister Aiko.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors Note: Hey Guys. So I know that I haven't updated this story in a while and it maybe even longer this time around. My life has changed in the most explosive way and I'm still in the process of recovering from it. So just know that I will try to get back to this and all my other stories but I can't make any guarantees this point forward til I get things settled. Anyway, Hope you all enjoy this chapter. Later Gladiators!

Waiting for Iroh to come out of school, Korra was standing by a light post checking the time. She was always there 30 minutes a head of time. "Ten minutes to go," she said pressing the button on the side of her wrist watch.

"Got the time?" a woman's voice asked.

Korra looked up and saw a blonde haired beauty a few feet away from her. "Yeah its 5:20," she said with a friendly smile.

The woman let out a sigh of relief. "That's good to know," she commented. She pointed to the entrance of the school. "I'm waiting for my little sister and I wasn't sure if I made it," she said smiling back. "How about you?"

Korra wasn't sure how to word it. "Just waiting for my friend's kid..." she said finding it awkward to say aloud. "I watch him from time to time," she further explained to clear up any confusion.

"Well that's sweet of you," the woman said with a smile.

Her smile made Korra smile back the same way. "I guess..." she said downplaying it.

The woman looked around seeing more parents showing up. "Did you drive here?"

Korra shook her head no. "I usually take a cab or bus."

"Well if you need a ride I'd gladly give you one," the woman said pointing behind her at her jeep.

Korra looked over at her car and saw the aqua blue jeep by the curb. "Beautiful ride," she said admiring the color.

The woman had a smug smile on her face and said, "thanks," while hearing a bell ring.

Mya walked beside Iroh in a crowd of students toward the exit. "I'm hanging out with my big sister this weekend," she pulling up her book bag on her shoulder. "I haven't seen her since she had her last break," she said walking down the stairs. "What about you? What are you gonna do this weekend?" she asked curiously.

Iroh shrugged his shoulders as he walked down the stairs with her. "Not sure yet," he said seeing Korra in her usual spot.

Mya spotted her sister and ran down the rest of the stairs. "Aiko!" she said giving her a hug once she was close enough.

Iroh came up to Korra and extended his balled up fist to her.

Korra pumped fist with him. "You ready to go?" she asked while tousling his hair a bit.

"Yeah," Iroh said trying to fix his hair afterwards.

Korra chuckled at how he tried to remain cool in front of his little friend. "This nice lady here offered us a ride a few minutes ago," she said gesturing to the blonde beside her.

The woman realized she never introduced herself. "Hi. I'm Aiko," she said holding her hand up. "This is my little sister Mya," she said looking down at her sister.

Korra took note to their names and smiled. "I'm Korra and this is my spotter Iroh," she said putting her hand on his shoulder.

Iroh smiled at the title she gave him. "Hi," he said to Aiko.

"Iroh huh?" Aiko repeated. "I heard a lot about you," she said smiling at her baby sister.

"You have?" he asked with a raised brow.

Mya let out an annoyed groan. "Aiko..."

Aiko waved it off as if it were nothing. "Only good things I promise. So you all still up for that ride?" she asked looking back up at Korra.

Korra gave Iroh a quick look for approval and gave her a nod. "Sure," she agreed with a smile.

* * *

Aiko parked her jeep in front of their building. "Is this it?"

"Yeah it is," Korra answered taking off her seat belt.

Iroh did the same in the back seat. "See you Monday," he said to Mya.

Mya had a disappointed look on her face. "See you..."

Aiko noticed the gloomy tone of voice her sister used and tossed an idea in the air. "Hey," she said reaching for Korra's sleeve. "Would you both like to hang out sometime tomorrow?" she asked knowing it was a long shot. "Maybe watch a movie?"

Korra was taken back by the offer at first and thought on Iroh finally able to spend time with his friend outside of school. "I'll have to ask his mother first but I'm sure she'll approve," she said hoping she would.

Aiko took out her phone so they could exchange numbers. Once they did, Korra got out of the car with Iroh waiting on the side walk for her. "Call me," she said as her sister got into the passenger seat.

Korra closed the passenger side door once Mya got in. "Will do," she said holding up her phone. She tapped it against the palm of her hand when they drove down the street.

Once inside the building, Korra headed up the stairs with Iroh to their floor. "How do you feel about hanging out with Mya and her sister tomorrow?" she asked wondering if he was okay with it.

The look on Iroh's face was a wave of excitement. "Its gonna be awesome!" he said only to clear his throat. "I mean its cool," he said trying to devalue it by mimicking her nonchalant attitude.

Korra couldn't help but laugh. "Alright."

* * *

Korra finished washing dishes by the time Asami came home. "Hey," she greeted when the door opened.

Asami closed the front door and locked it again. "Hey," she greeted back. "How's everything?" she asked while taking off her jacket.

"Good so far," Korra answered. She wasn't sure if to ask directly or take a subtle approach. She walked into the living room where she was. "Do you have plans for tomorrow or work?"

Asami walked passed Korra and into the kitchen to put her food away. "Work. The month's not over with," she said opening up the fridge. By this time next week she would finally be able to get a break unless Kuvira had her way.

Korra understood the situation she was in and knew it would be a while before her actual day off. "Is it cool if me and Iroh hung out with one of his classmates tomorrow?"

Asami looked up from the fridge surprised. "Who?" she asked wanting more information then that.

Korra walked up to the bar and took a seat on a stool. "A girl named Mya. Her sister offered us a ride earlier and asked if we wanted to hang out tomorrow," she said explaining in detail.

Asami took out her ginseng green tea from the fridge and closed it. "Her sister?" she questioned with an inflection in awe.

Korra wasn't sure about her tone but proceeded. "Yeah her older sister Aiko."

"Oh boy..." Asami commented before taking a sip of her tea.

"What?" Korra asked a bit defensive.

Asami shook her head not wanting to go in depth. "No its nothing," she said walking back into the living room.

Korra got up from her stool and followed her. "No its something," she said gently pulling her arm to stop her. Once they locked eyes, Korra let her go. "Say it."

Asami stopped walking and looked her in the eye. "Its just... I know how you get," she said hoping that'd be enough.

"What do you mean, 'How I get?'" Korra repeated now offended.

"Alright," Asami said caving. She really didn't want to have this conversation but gave in to prove a point. "Do you find her attractive?"

Korra was taking back by her question. "Attractive?" she repeated back with confusion on her face. "I don't know. I wasn't really paying attention," she said using one of Iroh's excuses.

Asami was slightly amused by her reaction and decided to challenge it. "So she's ugly," she said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"I wouldn't say that... I mean she's alright looking," Korra said trying to give the woman some creditably. "Why are you asking me this?"

Asami knew Korra couldn't handle what she was about to say next. "Because you flirt with every woman you see."

Korra scoffed at her accusation. "I don't flirt with every woman I see," she said holding her hand to her chest. "I don't flirt with you," she said gesturing to Asami to make her point.

Asami felt a little hurt by that and covered it with a small subtle smile. "I'm the exception," she countered.

Korra was completely confused by the way this conversation turned. "So what.. you don't want me to go with them tomorrow?" she asked not understanding.

"Its not that its.." Asami paused. She could see the confused look on Korra's face and knew she had to make this clear to understand. "This is Roh's friends sister. Not some random chick you met at a bar one night and not see again the next morning," she explained further. "All I'm asking is for you to not get involved with her."

"Get involved?" Korra questioned with an arched brow.

Asami wasn't trying to insult her friend but needed to get her point across. "Don't sleep with her," she said as blunt as possible.

Korra had a shocked expression on her face from what she said. "I wasn't planning on it."

Asami scoffed at her words and mumbled. "When do you ever..."

"Ouch," Korra said aloud. She was slightly hurt she was bringing this up again. "I told you that wasn't what happened."

"Right..." Asami said walking toward her room.

Korra stood there with a small invisible frown. "It wasn't!"

Asami stopped in her tracks and turned back around to face her. "I don't even care about that anymore," she said walking back up to her. "All I'm saying is to keep it friendly," she said in the more PG related sense. "Its just a playdate," she said tapping Korra's elbow to lighten things up.

Korra comprehended everything she stated but still felt insulted by her accusations. "I know its just a playdate. You're making it seem like its a double date."

"No I'm not," Asami said shaking her head.

Korra nodded her head. "Yes you are. I'm an adult I can control myself," she said with a soft smile to ease the tension.

Asami knew she was and agreed with it. "Then prove it," she dared.

"Is that a challenge?" Korra asked intrigued.

"Yeah it is," Asami replied. She held her bottle of tea up and aimed it at her. "If you can keep it cordial tomorrow. I'll apologize," she said knowing that would catch her attention. "If not, you'll owe me 20 bucks," she said with a smug smile.

Korra couldn't help but break out into laughter. "20 bucks?" she said chuckling. "You serious?"

Asami took a sip of her drinking nodding. "Yeah," she said putting the cap back on her drink.

"Alright. You're on," Korra said amp for this little wager. She got a little bit closer to Asami so she couldn't misinterpret what she was going to say next. "And when you turn out to be wrong you'll owe me more than just an apology," she said with the smuggest expression she could muster.

Asami could feel Korra's breath on her chin to how close she was. "Hmm. What do you want 'if' I'm wrong?" she whispered.

Korra looked deeply into her eyes and said without thinking. "I want you..." she uttered feeling a heavy sensation in her chest. She glanced at her lips and back to her eyes suppressing the feeling. "To admit defeat and grovel at my feet for forgiveness," she said changing the tone back to the way it was. "Maybe a cake and card to sweeten the pot," she said with a nod. "You know the whole shebang. No pun intended," she chuckled. "What do you say. We got a deal?" she said holding her hand out to her.

Asami looked into her eyes the same way and smiled. "Deal," she said taking her hand and shaking it lightly. "Just make sure you have my 20 dollars in bill form. No tens, fives or singles and certainly no pennies," she said giving her a wink before walking away.

"Oh you're funny. "Real funny!" Korra shouted seeing her door close. She took out her phone and scrolled through it looking for Aiko's number. "I can handle this," she said pressing her name and putting her ear to the phone. "Hey, its Korra. The one you gave the ride too earlier. Yeah," she said with a smile. "A... we're on for tomorrow. What time should we be ready?" she said pacing by the couch.

"We'll pick you up around noon," Aiko replied.

Korra stopped by the end of the couch and sat on the arm. "Alright sounds good."

Aiko smiled into the phone. "See you then..."

"See you..." Korra said hanging up. "Shit."

* * *

The next day, Asami was heading off to work when she spotted Korra on the couch getting ready herself. She couldn't help but chuckle. "You look nice,"she said getting her attention.

Korra was sitting on the couch putting on her shoes when she heard Asami's voice. "This is how I normally look," she said standing up.

Asami came up to her and sniffed near her neck. "And you smell nice too," she said somewhat amused. "Getting ready for your date?" she asked while walking into the kitchen.

"No and its not a date," Korra said leaning up against the arm of the couch.

"Right... I'm sure its not," she said taking a water bottle out of the fridge. Asami walked back into the living room and stopped a few feet away from Korra. "So what are you going to be doing today?"

Korra shook her head unsure of Aiko had planned. "I have no clue. Probably anything the kids wanna do but I'll make sure Iroh's okay," she said with a nod.

Asami never questioned Iroh's safety with Korra but smiled at her words. "I know you will. Just keep me posted," she said grabbing her jacket from the coat rack.

"Will do," Korra said watching her put on her jacket.

"I wish I could join you two..." she said looking at the time on her phone. Asami put her phone back in her satchel and took out her keys, "but Momma's gotta go to work," she said with a smile.

Korra was thoroughly amused by her statement. "And people say I'm weird," she commented.

Asami opened the front door and said, "you are," walking out of it. "Later," she waved before closing the door and locking it.

Korra shook her head smiling. "Later..."

* * *

When noon came, Korra and Iroh waited downstairs for Aiko and Mya. Korra wore all black with her brace on while Iroh had a red sweater with a white collar shirt underneath, blue jeans and white sneakers.

Aiko pulled her jeep over a few seconds later up to where they were standing. "Hey," she said putting it in park.

Iroh got in the back seat with Mya. "Hi," he said to both of them.

Mya said hi back trying to conceal her smile.

Korra closed his door and got in the passenger side. "Hey," she greeted closing her own door. "So what are we doing first?" she asked putting on her seat belt.

Aiko glanced at her sister through the rear view mirror and back to Korra. "Well we planned on seeing that cool new Galaxy Guardians movie and wanted to know if you guys wanted to see it. Its like PG 13, so its not that bad," she said looking back at Iroh. "If not we can see what else is playing," she said eyeing Korra again.

Korra looked behind her seat at Iroh. "You wanna see it?"

Iroh smiled at Korra with a nod. "Yeah."

Korra turned back in her seat and looked to Aiko. "Guess we got our answer," she said with a smile.

* * *

At the movies, Korra came up to the booth once they were next in line. "Hey can I get four tickets to see Galaxy Guardians. Two adults and two kids," she said as the lady rang up her total. Korra took out her wallet and paid before Aiko could get her money out.

Aiko was reaching into her purse and stopped when Korra got her change back. "You didn't have to do that," she said feeling bad for not paying.

"I don't mind," Korra said taking the tickets once it was handed to her. When they all walked inside, Korra looked around seeing how packed it was. "Hey," she said getting Aiko's attention. "Do you know if they have any nudes scenes in this film?" she said handing their tickets to one of the ushers.

"During the first one it was like brief side boob but that was it," Aiko answered as the usher gave Korra back their tickets.

Korra handed Aiko hers. "Side boob isn't that bad."

Aiko put her and Mya's ticket in her pocket. "No it isn't," she said with a smile.

Walking up to the concession stand, Korra stood in line and asked everyone. "What do you guys want?"

Mya tippy toed and looked at the choices they had. "Candy?"

"Sweet choice," Korra said giving her a five making her smile.

Iroh thought on his and said, "I want popcorn," while pointing at the big machine.

Korra smiled at that and fist bumped him. "For the salty one," she said getting Iroh to chuckle.

Aiko was never sure what to pick. "I wouldn't mind some hot wings," she said with a shrug.

"Spicy's a nice choice as well," Korra said giving her a five up high. It was until Aiko interlocked their fingers together. Korra held her hand for a few seconds before pulling away smiling nervously. "Shall we?" she said since the line was moving.

Iroh spotted an arcade section near the restroom area. He pulled on Korra's jacket to get her attention. "Can we check it out before the movie starts?" he asked pointing behind him.

Korra looked up to where he pointed and saw that arcade area. "Sure," she said glancing at her wrist watch. "We have 15 minutes to kill so have it," she said reaching into her pocket. She took out two five dollar bills and handed it to each of them. "There's a change machine over there," she said with both kids saying thank you and running in that direction. "Slow down!" she shouted as they made it into the area. "Should one of us keep an eye on them while the other gets the food?" she asked Aiko.

Aiko shook her head no. "They'll be alright. Plus they're in our line of sight so its no need to worry," she said placing a soft hand on Korra's shoulder blade.

"I can't help it," Korra said since this was a first for her.

"I can tell," Aiko said moving up in the line.

xxxxxxxxxx

Iroh and Mya was playing on the motorcycle racing machine with them both coming in 3rd and 4th place. Mya got off and looked around the area. "What do you wanna play now?"

Iroh fixed the seat of his pants and turned around to answer her. "Um... how about the zombie shooter game," he said pointing over at it.

"Awesome," Mya said walking over to it. She got in the booth and waited for him.

Iroh got in as well and sat next to her. He looked at her and smiled before turning his attention to the machine.

Mya waited for Iroh to put his quarters in and sat back in her seat with the toy gun in hand. "Hey... how come you didn't sit next to me in the lunch room that day?" she asked innocently.

Iroh sat back in his seat after putting his coins into the machine. He was a bit embarrassed by her question. "I must've forgot," he said making an excuse. He could barely look her in the eye.

Mya wasn't stupid and she knew it wasn't something he would want to talk about but she had to ask. "Its because of Hundan isn't it?"

Iroh looked her in the eye and shook his head no. "No I just-"

"I see the way he looks at you. I don't like it," she said annoyed. She's never seen Hundan hit him but heard it from plenty of her classmates that he had.

"Its okay," Iroh said ready to press start on the game.

Mya shook her head and lowered it. "No its not. He's being weird," she said looking at Iroh. "If he bothers you again let me know."

Iroh was surprised by her words and nodded. "I can handle it," he said looking back at the game and pressing start.

xxxxxxxxxx

Korra got the food while Aiko handled the drinks. "Is that too heavy for you?" she asked curiously.

Aiko shook her head no. "Not at all. I use to sneak food in all the time so this is nothing."

"I know right," Korra said doing the same in her youth. Looking over at the arcade area, Korra glanced at the time on the wall. "We got five minutest left," she said walking over to where the kids were.

"I know.." Aiko uttered.

xxxxxxxxxx

Iroh and Mya finished the game and came out of the small both. Mya saw Korra and Aiko headed their way. "I think they're ready for us," she said looking back at Iroh.

Iroh was distracted by this Punch Boxer game. He came up to it and hit the bag not seeing it move. He reached into his pants pocket and took out four quarters.

"What are you doing?" Mya asked standing behind him.

Iroh put the quarters into the machine. "I want to see how it works."

Mya watched as the screen flashed the sign ready with Iroh hitting it as hard as he could. "Where'd you learn how to hit like that?" she asked curiously.

Iroh saw his score was under 100 and wondered what it meant. "A friend," he said walking out of the arcade with her.

xxxxxxxxxx

They entered the room the movie was playing in and got their seats. Aiko sat next to Mya. Iroh sat on the other side of her with Korra sitting next to him. The movie trailers were about to start with Korra passing everyone their stuff.

Aiko got up and said, "I'll be back," while passing everyone.

Korra stood up so she could get pass and sat back down when she did. The trailers were starting with many people scrambling to get in their seats. A guy came to the other end of their row and got to Aiko's seat. Korra saw him and said, "that seat's taken," as he sat down. He completely ignored her and got comfortable. "Hey," she said a bit louder only to be shushed by other people.

Mya looked uncomfortable with this big lug sitting next to her.

Iroh noticed and leaned close to her ear. "Wanna switch?"

Mya nodded her head and whispered yes.

When the kids got up, Korra waved over to them. "You can move further down toward me," she said since there were empty seats by her.

Iroh shook his head and sat where Mya was seated before. "I got it," he said when Mya sat in his seat.

Korra sighed as Aiko came back seeing a random guy in her seat. "I told that jack hole that seat was taken but he wouldn't get up," she whispered to her.

"Its okay. I'll sit next to you," Aiko whispered back doing just that. She sat next to Korra and smiled.

"Okay," Korra said keeping it as that instead of a smart remark about somewhere else she could sit.

xxxxxxxxxx

The movie was playing with Iroh and Mya staring at the screen wide eyed in awe. Iroh sipped on his drink while Mya ate some m&m's.

Korra had the bucket of popcorn on her lap eating some. Aiko went to reach for it when Korra did. Their hands briefly touched with Korra moving her hand out the way. "Sorry," she said waiting her turn.

Aiko took some and put in it her empty chicken box. "Thanks."

Korra turned to the kids and whispered. "Do you want some?" she asked seeing them both grab hand fulls. She took it back and felt her phone vibrating in her pocket next. "Hey can you hold this for me?" she asked handing Aiko the bucket of popcorn.

"Sure," Aiko agreed taking it.

Korra reached into her pants pocket and took out her phone. She saw a text from Asami asking how things were going. Korra texted back: _Good. Hit you up when the movie is over._ Asami texted back: _What movie?_ Korra texted her the name of the movie and put her phone away. "Sorry," she whispered to Aiko.

Aiko said its fine and handed her back the popcorn.

Korra took it again and felt another buzz in her pocket. She pulled her phone out half way and saw a message from Asami that had 20 money emoji's and smirked. She put her phone back in her pocket and continued to watch the movie.

* * *

Asami smirked to herself and put her phone down to get back to work. Though she couldn't help but think about the bet itself. It was really silly the more she thought about it. Korra always flirted with every cute face and slim waist she came across. This time would be no different. Although that wasn't always the case. Asami could recall a time when Korra was to scared to even ask someone out.

_"Are you going to prom?" Asami asked for the millionth time since a certain someone had been avoiding the question the passed few days._

_"I might skip it," Korra answered taking another long sip of her milkshake._

_Asami let out a heavy sigh of annoyance to showcase her frustration. "You can't skip it. You have to go!"_

_Korra put her empty cup down on the tray she had in front of her. "And who am I gonna go with? Myself?"_

_Asami shook her head no and reached for Korra's hand across the table. "You'll be with me," she said with a smile._

_Korra looked down at her hand on top of hers. "To be the third wheel with you and Tahno?" she said slowly moving it from her grasp. "I don't think so," she respectfully declined._

_"It wouldn't be like that I promise," Asami said holding up her two finger to indicate that._

_Korra gave her a skeptic look in return._

_Asami knew it wouldn't be that easy to sway her stubborn friend. "What if I help you find a date for it," she offered with an eager smile._

_Korra raised a brow at her. "That would be impossible. The proms this weekend. Who would want to go to something like that last minute?" she said knowing that would take a miracle to pull off._

_"You'd be surprised!" Asami said in an upbeat tone of voice. "Come on give it a try," she said nudging her knee with her foot underneath the table. "If I can't find a date for you by the end of the day I promise I'll drop it."_

_Korra narrowed her eyes at her and sighed. "Fine," she agreed submitting defeat._

_Asami smiled brightly at that. "Perfect! Now who do you want to go with a guy or a girl?" she asked glancing around the food court for potential prospects._

_"I don't know..." Korra said to shy to look around._

_Asami saw a cute guy walking by their table and smirked. "What about him?" she said gesturing his way._

_Korra noticed him and shrugged. "I don't know him."_

_"That's the point to get to know him," Asami said picking up a piece of her funnel cake and eating it._

_"You trying to find me a date or pimp me out?" Korra asked curiously._

_"None of the sort," Asami stated in all seriousness. She pointed her half eaten pastry at her. "Plus you'd be my muscle if anything."_

_Korra raised a brow at her weird sense of humor. "Thanks I guess," she said standing up to throw her tray out. She walked over to the trash cans and bumped into someone dropping her tray on the floor. "Crap."_

_"I'm so sorry," the girl said frantically. "I'll pay for your lunch," she said scrambling to pick up the scattered mess._

_"Its cool," Korra said putting everything back on to the tray. When she finally looked up at the woman, Korra couldn't help but stare before shaking her head. "I was gonna throw it out anyway," she said standing back to her feet. She then noticed the band on the girls shirt and smiled. "You listen to Linkin' Up?"_

_The girl looked down at her own shirt and nodded. "Yeah. I can't wait for their tour this summer," she said all giddy looking back up at Korra._

_"Wow I always wanted to see them live," Korra said gesturing to her shirt._

_The girl laughed with a nod. "Its pretty cool. This will be my second time but more closer to the stage."_

_Korra looked at her in awe. "Really that is cool."_

_Asami watched from afar with a faint smile on her face that was slowly disappearing._

Asami had that same look on her face now before snapping out of it and getting back to work.

* * *

After the movie was over, they all walked out of the theater and into the lobby. Iroh pulled Korra to the side away from the girls. "Can you follow me. I wanna show you something," he said lowly.

Korra wasn't sure why he was being so secretive but nodded. "Alright," she agreed. "Hey!" she said getting Aiko and Mya's attention. "We'll meet you outside."

"Okay," Aiko said walking with her sister toward the exit.

Iroh walked a head of Korra back toward the arcade. He stopped by the punch machine and pressed the button. "I hit this earlier but I don't know what my score means," he said looking for it.

Korra stood next to Iroh and clicked on the button to see for herself. "You know these things aren't always accurate. What was your score?" she said not seeing his up there.

Iroh thought back on it and said, "64," while not sure if it was good or bad.

Korra looked at the score ratings. "Its not to bad."

"Its not good enough," Iroh said a bit stressed. "I'd like to be stronger."

"Do you want to be stronger to better yourself or for another reason?" Korra said looking down at him.

Iroh thought on it and looked up at her with a serious look in his eye. "To better myself."

Korra smiled proudly at that. "Good answer," she said patting his back lightly.

Iroh had been taking his training sessions with Korra seriously. If he wanted to get better he needed too. "What would your score be?" he asked curiously.

"Doesn't matter," Korra replied only to see him putting quarters in the machine. "Come on," she said tapping his shoulder lightly. "You should never keep a lady waiting," she said referring to the girls outside.

"What if they keep you waiting?" Iroh asked since his mother took a very long time to get ready herself.

Korra chuckled at his question and shook her head. "That is another subject all together," she said getting terrible flashbacks in the process. "Come on," she said again leading him out of the arcade area.

Iroh walked with her towards the exit and stopped. "Wait I never got my quarters back from the machine."

Korra looked through the clear glass doors seeing the girls waiting near by and back down at Iroh. "I'll get em for you just go wait with Mya," she said pointing over at them.

"Okay," Iroh said heading in that direction.

Korra watched as he reached the door and walked back into the arcade area. She came back to the machine and saw the speed bag hanging up. Knowing the coins were still in the machine, Korra was tempted to know her own score. She looked out to see if anyone was around and reached into her pocket taking out four quarters to replace his. She held them in her fist and pressed start with her other hand.

Iroh was hiding behind another machine watching Korra get into her stance and smiled.

Korra held her fist up and took a hard jab at the speed bag and saw her score was 795 out of 900.

Iroh peeked up from behind the machine and saw her score. "Whoa..."

Korra heard a noise and looked in that direction with Iroh ducking down so she wouldn't see him. "Come on Roh," she said coaxing him out of his hiding place. Once he stood, Korra placed her hands on his shoulders leading him back outside.

xxxxxxxxxx

They both walked out of the theater and up to Aiko and Mya. "Sorry it took so long," Korra said standing next to Iroh.

Aiko didn't see it as a big deal and waved it off. "Its cool. We were just thinkin' on where to go to next."

Korra looked at each of them and then back at Aiko. "Wanna grab a bite to eat?"

"Sure," Aiko agreed with a smile.

"Cool, what are you all in the mood for?" Korra asked ready to take some suggestions.

Mya shook her head unsure. "I don't know."

Aiko lightly licked her lips out of habit. "I'd eat anything at this point."

Korra took note to that without saying anything sexual behind it. "Okay."

"How about pizza?" Iroh said since he hasn't had any in a while.

"Everyone good with pizza?" Korra said hearing a collective of yeahs all around.

Aiko was browsing through her phone to see if there were any nearby. "There's a pizza shop just around the corner if you wanna walk?"

Korra didn't mind walking since finding a parking spot was a hassle. "Pizza it is."

* * *

The group arrived at the pizzeria a few minutes later. The kids went straight up to the counter to see the variety of sweets available.

Korra stopped short by the register looking up at the menu. "Do you wanna get a pie?" she said looking back at Aiko.

Aiko stood beside Korra and laughed. "Sure. What kind of pie do you want?"

Korra looked back up at the menu above and shrugged. "We could go with regular cheese, the meats, a veggie or the classic pepperoni."

"To bad they don't have cherry," Aiko said underneath her breath.

"What?" Korra asked confused as to what she meant.

Aiko shook her head of the thought. "Pepperoni sounds good," she said changing her answer.

Korra heard what she said the first time but acknowledged her current statement. "Alright. I'll order it and see what the kids want."

"Okay, I'll grab us a booth," Aiko said walking toward the back of the resturant.

Korra watched as she walked away seeing her hips sway side to side. She unconsciously licked her own lips thinking of many things only to shake her head remembering the bet she made with Asami. _I gotta text her back._ She took her phone out and started to send her pizza emojis before texting: _getting something to eat_. Placing her phone back in her pocket, Korra came up behind the kids to see what they were looking at. "Do you guys want pepperoni pizza?"

Iroh and Mya looked behind them at Korra and said 'yes' in unison.

"What else do you want besides that?" Korra asked since they were eying the desserts.

Mya looked over the selection and pointed at what she wanted. "Could we have some cookies?"

Iroh saw the chocolate chips Mya was pointing to and wanted some himself. "Can we?" he chimed in.

Korra reached in her pocket to take out her wallet. "Yeah how many do you want?"

"They're kind of big," Mya commented. She wasn't sure so threw a number out. "Two?" she said looking up at Korra.

"Two it is," Korra said turning her attention to the guy behind the register. She looked back up at the menu again before settling her sights back on the man before her. "Hey can I get a large pepperoni pizza, two chocolate chip cookies..." she said glancing at it again. "Make that four," she said holding up those number of fingers. "What do you guys want to drink?" she said looking to Iroh and Mya.

The guy cleared his throat to get her attention. "I need to know what size drink. You can choose what kind of drink you want down there," he said gesturing to the fountain drink machine with an empty cup.

Korra saw the machine and nodded. "Alright three large sodas and a water bottle."

The guy took out a cold bottle of water and placed it on the counter with three empty large cups and racked up her total. "That will be 27 dollars and 80 cents," he said placing her recepit down.

Korra took out a 50 dollar bill and handed it to him. He gave her a 20 dollar bill with 20 cents on top. "Thanks," she said placing it in her pocket. She handed the kids there empty cups to get their drinks.

The guy placed their cookies on the counter for her to get. "Your pizza will be ready in 15 minutes," he said wiping down his area.

Korra took her empty cup, cookies and water bottle off the counter. "Alright," she said walking up to the booth Aiko was occupying. She could see the kids getting their drinks out of the corner of her eye. She placed the bottle of water and empty cup down on the table and up to Aiko. "I wasn't sure which one you'd prefer."

Aiko looked up from her phone at Korra. "It doesn't matter."

Korra looked her in the eye and simply said. "Choose."

Aiko made an indecisive face and slowly pulled the empty cup toward her.

"I knew it," Korra said with a cocky smile.

Aiko hung her head in shame. "I'm a sucker for Hi-C."

Korra couldn't help but smile at her. "Who wouldn't be."

Aiko looked up at her smiling back bitting her lower lip.

Korra noticed and cleared her throat. "I a.. I got you a cookie too," she said sliding it closer to her.

"Thanks," Aiko said as the kids came back to the table with their drinks.

"I got sweet tea," Iroh said placing his on the table.

Korra glanced at his cup and nodded. "Looks good."

Mya placed her drink down next to his. "I got sprite."

"I might get that too," Aiko said standing up from the booth taking her empty cup with her. "I'll be right back."

Korra watched her walk over to the machine and couldn't help but admire her figure. _Hot damn_. She closed her eyes to avoid seeing it and rubbed them with her hands. _Get a grip_.

Iroh sat down and saw Korra rubbing her eyes. "You okay?" he asked thinking she got something caught in it.

Korra stopped and looked down at him with a nod. "Yeah. Thanks," she said giving him a smile.

"Who are you to him?" Mya asked out of curiousity.

Korra didn't take offense to the question and was growing more use to hearing it. She wasn't sure how to phase her answer though. "I'm a friend of his mother."

Iroh looked up at Korra and smiled. "Mines too right?"

Korra playfully nudged his shoulder and smiled. "Of course."

Mya smiled at the both of them sipping on her drink quietly.

* * *

Asami got Korra's text a bit late and saw that they were at a pizza shop. It made her think on all the fun they must be having. She wondered what they ordered and figured it had to be pepperoni. It was always a great choice. Her thoughts then roamed to a time her and Iroh II took Korra out to dinner.

_The trio sat there quietly with Asami looking up from her menu. "Do you know what you want to eat?" she asked the both of them._

_Iroh II glanced around his menu and spotted something that caught his eye. "The sea slug looks exquisite."_

_Korra made a hurrling face at his choice._

_Asami noticed her expression and was gratefuly he didn't. "What about you?" she asked getting her attention._

_Korra sighed and skimmed the menu shaking her head. "I can barely understand anything on here to make a choice," she said putting it down on the table._

_"Well what looks good," Asami said since there were a few pictures to give her an idea._

_Korra looked around the room and saw a woman not to far from her. "Something not on the menu..."_

_Asami followed her line of sight and sighed._

_Iroh II cleared his throat and sat up in his seat. "I'll help you if you like," he said opening his menu wider for her to see. "I can tell you whats on it," he said willing to translate._

_Korra looked back at him with an arched brow. "I'd much rather have something else less complicated like pizza instead of a 5 course meal but here we are," she said holding her hands up. "Surprise!" she said being theatric._

_"Korra," Asami said using her stern tone of voice._

_Korra looked to her friend and kept her hands up. "I'm not trying to be rude. I appreciate you treating for all this," she said to Iroh. She looked back at Asami to make this clear as day. "But its just not my thing,"_

_Iroh II gave Asami a look of annoyance and sighed himself. He knew this dinner date was a waste of time._

_Asami kept her eyes on Korra. "It doesn't hurt to try new things."_

_"You're right it doesn't," Korra said getting up from her seat to talk to the woman waiting at the bar. She pointed over to the table she was at and asked the woman to join them._

_Iroh II watched her confused. "What is she doing?"_

_Asami eyed Korra with a scold forming on her face. "I don't know."_

_Korra came back with the woman in tow and pulled an empty chair from a nearby table up to theirs. "Here we go," she said offering the lady a seat._

_"Thank you," the lady said._

_Asami looked at Korra in disbelief. "What are you doing?"_

_Korra sat down in her own and caught a swiff of Asami's attitude. "Oh me?" she said pointing at her chest. "Well I thought instead of being a third wheel I'd try something new like getting to know this lovely lady at the bar who's been waiting to get a table for the last 10 minutes," she said holding up both hands._

_"20," the woman corrected._

_Korra pointed at her. "Exactly 20."_

_Iroh II grew more frustated by the moment. "Unbelievable," he said under his breath._

_Korra then pointed at him. "I know waiting 20 minutes is unbelievable," she said to be cheeky._

_Before Asami could ring Korra in, a Waiter came up to their table. "This is a three seated table not four."_

_"Is it really an issue?" Korra asked him as if it was no big deal._

_The man looked around the table before answering. "Yes because you only paid for three person table."_

_Korra looked at everyone and back at him. "Can't you make an exception and bring us an extra menu?"_

_The man shook his head and said. "No."_

_Iroh II held his hand up to stop any further discussion on the matter. "I'll cover the cost," he said sternly since their table was getting looks._

_"You shouldn't have too," Asami said now pissed off herself._

_"Why not? He clearly said he would," Korra said chewing on a bread stick._

_The woman was starting to feel uncomfortable. "I could go back to the bar," she offered getting up._

_Korra pushed her chair back in so she could sit. "No. You don't have to go anywhere. You already waited 20 minutes you should be able to order something by now," she said handing her her menu._

_The waiter shook his head tapping his foot against the ground. "This isn't proper protocol."_

_Iroh II abruptly stood up from his seat getting everyone's attention. "I will cover the cost just bill it to me and add a little extra for yourself for the inconvience," he said to the waiter. "Now. Get us another menu," he said in a low yet demanding tone of voice._

_"I'll get you another menu," the waiter said without another word._

_Asami looked over at Korra with a livid expression._

_Korra gave her a look back and shrugged her shoulders. "What?"_

Asami began to text Korra back asking her to send her some pictures. She wanted to see what they were doing in order to get these negative memories out of her mind.

* * *

Korra got Asami's text as the pizza arrived. Reading over it, She stood up from her seat to take a picture of everyone. "Everyone say Pizza Pie!" she said holding her phone up.

Iroh smiled with a thumbs up behind Korra while Mya and Aiko were on the other side saying _'pizza pie'_.

Korra took the pic and showed them all how it came out. "Not bad huh?"

Aiko saw the picture and smiled. "Can you send that to me?"

Korra was still in the process of figuring out how to work her phone. "I'm not sure how to do it."

"I'll show you if you want," Aiko offered. She then turned her attention to her little sister. "Hey Mya why don't you sit next to Iroh while I show Korra how to work her phone."

"Alright," Mya said getting up from the booth. She took a next to Iroh and pulled her pizza slice over toward her.

Korra sat next to Aiko and handed her her phone. She watched as Aiko began to demonstrate the basics.

Aiko sat up in her seat and began to show Korra how to send pictures. "See thats all you have to do. Now you give it a try," she said handing her back her phone.

Korra took her phone back and began to send Aiko the photo. "Like that?"

Aiko heard a 'ding' from her phone seconds later. She picked it up and showed Korra. "Just like that.."

"Thanks," Korra said with a smile.

"You're very welcome," Aiko said with a smile of her own.

They were a little too close which made Korra clear her throat. "I'm a go to the restroom. I'll be back," she said getting up from the table and heading into the ladies room. Walking inside, Korra took a deep breath and slapping her cheek a few times. "What are you doing?" she asked herself. She came up to the sink and turned the water on. She splash her face and looked into the mirror pointing at her reflection. "Behave yourself. You can do it," she said before lifting up her shirt to wipe her face off.

Aiko came into the ladies room and saw Korra with her shirt up. Her six pack was an impressive sight to see. "Wow."

Korra dropped her shirt and saw Aiko standing there. "Ah shit," she said outloud. "I mean... Hey," she said holding her hand up.

"I didn't mean to scare you," Aiko said walking up to her. She stopped a few feet away from her. "I just wanted to know if you were okay."

"Yeah yeah I'm fine," Korra said with a nod.

Aiko gave her a nod in return. "Okay," she said looking around the restroom. She then took a step closer to her. "I wanted to ask you something."

Korra saw her coming closer and leaned against the sink behind her. "What's that?"

Aiko began to rub her own forearm out of nervousness. "This is weird to ask specially in the women's restroom but I've been getting a vibe from you all day and was wondering if I'm right," she said not trying to make this awkward.

Korra was taken back by her boldness and smiled a bit. "What kind of vibe?"

Aiko bit her bottom lip again. "You know what kind..." she said lowly.

Korra couldn't help her self and decide to challenge her. "Show me."

Aiko took on the dare and came closer to her. She leaned in close to her face and softly pressed her lips against hers.

Korra felt her lips on hers and placed her hands on Aiko's waist pulling her closer.

Aiko raised her hands up to Korra's cheeks pulling her more into the kiss.

They both stopped once they heard voices coming closer to the rest room doors. Korra covered her mouth when Aiko backed off as some women came into the restroom.

Aiko stood against the wall letting the ladies pass her. "I'ma go check on the kids.." she said pointing her thumb at the door.

Korra gave her a nod and put her hand down when she left the room. "Fuck.."

* * *

Asami was on the computer entering some date and thought on how things use to be. Korra wasn't always an ass. She could be so innocent at times it was adorable. Like when they were both 14 talking about boys and random things.

_"What's it like to have a boyfriend?" Korra asked sitting at the end of her bed with her legs folded._

_"Its pretty nice. They bring you gifts and give you their dessert at lunch," Asami said going over all the things her former boyfriend did for her._

_Korra had a clueless expression consume her face. "Have you ever kissed one?"_

_Asami sat back on her own bed looking up at the ceiling in thought. "Yeah lots of times," she said looking over at Korra._

_"How was it?" Korra asked curiously._

_"Like any other kiss," Asami said in a nonchalant tone of voice. The subject made her have a question of her own. "Why do you like a boy?"_

_Korra looked away from her in panic. "I don't know.. maybe."_

_Asami was a bit surprised and smiled at her friends confession. "If you do you need to learn how to kiss," she said in all seriousness. She got off her bed and came over to Korra's with a stuffed animal in hand. She handed it over to Korra. "Here kiss it."_

_Korra held the stuffed animal in hand and looked up at her friend baffled. "Are you serious?"_

_Asami stood in front of her nodding her head. "Yeah try it."_

_Korra looked at the stuffed bear before giving it a peck._

_"Not like that," Asami said taking it out of her hand. She took a seat next to Korra and said, "like this," while demonstrating the exact way to kiss. "See, now you try," she said handing it back to her._

_Korra took the stuffed bear and tried it again. She then started to pick the small specs of fur from her lips. "Ew."_

_Asami sighed out of the hopelessness that was displayed. "Ball up your fist," she said holding hers up. Once she did, Asami showed her how to kiss it. "Now you."_

_Korra held up her fist and did the same. "This feels weird," she said wiping the saliva from her hand._

_Asami started to feel like this was impossible and looked around the room for something else to use._

_"Forget it. Its not important," Korra said ready to change the subject._

_"No it is important," Asami told her only to get a wild idea. "You can practice on me."_

_Korra looked at her like she was a foreign object. "What do you mean?"_

_Asami rolled her eyes and explained further. "There is no substitute for the real thing at least that's what my dad always says," she said thinking on her mothers cooking. "Anyways you can try it on me and it wont count as your first kiss since its just for practice," she said with a shrug of her shoulders._

_"Are you sure?" Korra asked with an arched brow._

_"Yes," Asami easily answered. She turned more in her seat to face her clearly. "You ready?"_

_Korra looked Asami in the eyes and nodded. "Yeah."_

_They both began to edge closer to one another. Asami pointed at her mouth. "Perk your lips up like this," she said showing her. "Close your eyes and slowly lean forward."_

_Korra followed her directions and closed her eyes leaning forward._

_Asami did the same with their lips touching. They kissed for a few seconds before opening their eyes again. "How was that?"_

_Korra moved back with an amazed expression. "Amazing," she said with a small smile. "I could get use to this kising thing," she said in the general aspect of things._

_"Me too," Asami said smiling nerviously. She actually never kissed anyone before and felt a whole new revelation beyond her hand. "Do you want to try again?" she said unsure if she would agree to it._

_"Okay," Korra answered and began to lean in close as directed. They both kissed again but this time a little longer than before imitating the movies they often watched. Korra pulled back and looked at her lips and then her eyes. "Did I do it right?"_

_Asami stared at Korra's lips and back at her eyes. "You're a natural."_

_Korra blushed with a nod of her head. "Cool," she uttered with a chesire cat smile._

Asami snapped out of her thoughts when Lee knocked on her cubical. "Huh?" she said a bit startled.

"You left these reports in the copier," he said handing it over to her.

"Thank you," Asami said taking them off his hands.

Lee gave her a nod. "No problem," he said heading back to his cubical.

Asami took a deep breath and checked her phone again. She saw the picture Korra sent her and couldn't help but notice how beautiful the other woman was. "She is a looker," she said feeling a bit insecure for some reason.

* * *

Korra wiped the lipstick off her mouth before coming out of the restroom. She came back to the booth and sat next to Aiko again. "How's the pizza?" she asked the kids.

Iroh was half way done with his second piece. "Its good but greasy."

"It kind of was," Mya said pointing at a mountain of napkins the two of them gathered up.

"I see," Korra said noticing it for herself.

Aiko already started eating her slice. "That's what makes it the best unhealthy thing I love so much," she said with a hint of sarcasm.

Korra chuckled. "I know right," she said smiling at her. She cleared her throat again and started to eat her own slice.

Aiko let her be and started on a new subject. "So I have a plan for the next thing but everyone has to be on board," she motion at the table.

Iroh perked up for the next suggestion. "What is it?"

Aiko got quiet for a few seconds for dramatic effect before saying, "the strike zone bowling alley," before holding her hands up as if she just dropped a mic.

Mya got super excited. "I'd love to go bowling!" she said since they haven't went in years.

"I know, "Aiko said sipping on her sprite.

"I've never bowled before," Iroh said unsure if he could.

Korra smiled at him. "You'd love it."

"I'll teach you," Mya offered.

"See you already have a teacher," Korra said gesturing to Mya.

Iroh wouldn't let his inexperience stop him from trying. "Okay," he said smiling at Mya.

Aiko put her drink down and lightly bumped her shoulder against Korra's. "Guess that makes us a team."

Korra looked over at Aiko and shrugged. "I guess so."

Aiko looked back at her sister and Iroh. "And we're not gonna go easy on you either."

"Nope," Korra said shaking her head no.

Aiko pointed between her and Korra. "We're gonna bring it."

Korra held her hand up. "Right to the table."

Both kids started to laugh at there antics.

Aiko leaned close to Korra's ear. "We're gonna let them win right?" she asked in a whisper.

"Most definitely," Korra whispered back.

* * *

Asami got another text message on her phone that showed a bowling ball and pins. She smiled and began to type up another text that said: _Wish I was there with you guys_. She then back spaced it and wrote: _Hope you guys have fun_.

Korra texed her back a few seconds later saying: _We are. It would be even more fun if you were here_.

Asami smiled at her text and saw a follow up text that read: _Cause you'd throw gutter balls and get all pissy lol_. "Oh really?" Asami said texting her back: _I'll get you back for that. Just make sure you have my moola ready when you come home_.

Korra saw her text and sent her one back saying: _Yeah right_ with a tongue emoji attached.

"Hey gonna put your name in?" Aiko asked since she finished adding hers on the machine.

"Yeah," Korra said putting her phone away and walking up to them.

Asami got her text and wondered if she still wanted to win the bet or not.

* * *

Korra stood up after fixing her bowling shoes. "Alright. This is gonna be an epic show down between two elite teams," she announced to the group. "Team cookies and cream soda," she said gesturing to Iroh and Mya. "Awesome name by the way," she said giving each of them dap. "Verses Team..." she said blanking on their name.

Aiko stood up and whispered one into her ear. "Cliff's edge."

Korra looked at her confused. "What does that mean?"

Aiko couldn't help but smirk. "Why don't you find out."

Korra gave her a slow nod of confusion and chalked it up to some sexual innuendo. "Alright I will later," she agreed. She looked back at the kids and repeated the name suggestion. "Cliff's edge," she said in an unknowling awkward kind of way. "Anyway Ready?"

"Ready!" both kids shouted.

"Awesome. Let's do this!" Korra said exhilarated.

* * *

Thirty minutes in, Korra felt exhausted. "We're getting our asses handed to us."

Aiko sat back still tallying up there scores. "I know."

Korra looked at her with a raised brow. "I'm actually trying now and were still behind," she said looking back at the lanes.

Aiko giggled. "I know."

"The bars help though," Korra said pointing at the bumpers in the kids lane.

"Yes it does," Aiko said glancing over at them.

Iroh and Mya were both tossing the bowling ball down the lane.

Aiko saw the kids were distracted and reached down squeezing Korra's thigh causing her to jump.

Korra jerked up a bit in her seat and looked at Aiko surprised.

When the kids looked back at them, Aiko moved her hand and waved at them.

They waved back with Iroh telling Korra its her turn. Korra got up and grabbed the blue ball she had earlier tossing it down the lane.

Iroh sat down next to Mya again. "We're winning," he said pointing up at the score board.

"Yeah.." Mya said getting quiet.

Iroh noticed and grew concerned. "What's wrong?" he asked wondering if she hurt her fingers.

Mya looked him in the eye with worry written all over her face. "What are you going to do when Hundan comes back to school?"

Iroh wasn't sure why she was bringing this up now. "Why do you ask?"

Mya heard about Hundan's suspension from a ton of classmates and knew Iroh would feel his wrath when he came back. "Because I don't want him to bother you."

"If he does I'll deal with it," Iroh said looking back at the lanes.

"How?" Mya asked wanting him to elaborate.

Iroh thought on it and didn't give her an answer. He wasn't quite sure as to what he would do but no matter what occured he would face it head on.

"There it is!" Aiko shouted when Korra got a strike.

Korra chuckled and gave her a high five.

Aiko locked their fingers again and pulled her toward her.

Korra's smiled faded and removed her hand from hers to point at their lane. "You're up."

"Alright," Aiko said getting up to bowl herself.

Korra took a seat as Aiko bowled and started to wonder if Asami had a point. This was Iroh's friends sister. It would be inappropriate to get involved with her like that even though she had a beautiful face, slim waist and an ass for days. Korra stopped starring when Aiko came back to her seat. "So close!" she said with a smile.

Aiko sat down with a huff. "I know. I only had one more pin to go before getting a strike," she said all pouty lipped.

"Want me to throw my shoe at it?" Korra said with a smirk.

Aiko giggled looking down at her hands. "Maybe next time," she said eying her again.

Mya began to bowl again with Iroh right by her side.

Korra put her arm around the back of Aiko's chair and leaned closer to her. "Hey um... about what happened at the pizza shop," she started to say as Aiko looked at her. "I a.. I find you attractive. Very much so but I don't want to ruin anything for Iroh and Mya," she said gesturing toward the kids. "If this," she said pointing between the two of them. "Doesn't work out I don't want that to effect their friendship," she said in a very serious manner.

Aiko smiled at Korra. "You're sweet and I understand what you mean," she said looking back at the kids.

Korra smiled the same way. "Thanks."

Aiko leaned back in her seat and looked back at Korra. "But if you ever change your mind. Give me a call."

Korra's smile quickly turned into her famous lopsided grin. "I will."

* * *

Asami got home early and saw no one was there. After putting some food in the fridge, She walked into her room to get ready for the night.

Korra and Iroh came in a few minutes later with a pizza box in hand. "I'm beat," she said taking a seat on the couch.

"Me too," Iroh agreed plopping down next to her.

Asami came into the living soon as she heard their voices. "There you two are," she said with a smile. "Did you have fun?" she said looking at her son.

Iroh stood up and held his hands up. "So much fun!" he exclaimed. "I can't wait to do it again."

Asami rubbed the top of his head. "Go wash up before bed okay," she said hearing him groan.

"Okay," he said running into his room.

Asami came up to Korra with a smug expression on her face. "Did you have fun too?"

Korra stood up and lowered her head in defeat. "Yes," she said holding up a 20 dollar bill.

Asami saw it with her heart beginning to flutter. "Oh," she said surprised. "I knew it," she said changing her tone of voice to mask the slight disappointment in it.

Soon as she reached for the bill, Korra snatched it away. "Knew you'd lose!" she said with a smile. "Nothing happened," she said walking into the kitchen. She put the pizza box on the counter and opened the cabinet to get a zip lock bag.

"Oh? Why not?" Asami asked following her path.

Korra looked over at her wondering if she should tell her the truth or a version of it. Shaking her head, Korra looked away. "She wasn't interested in me," she said putting the rest of the pizza slices in the fridge.

Asami looked at her shocked. "Really?"

Korra closed the fridge with a nod. "Yeah she's a... straight. So we just hung out and had a chilled day. Plus it made it easier to win," she said walking back up to her. "So what do you say?" she said holding her hand up to her ear.

Asami shook her head. "Uh. Nothing. It doesn't count if she's not into you," she explained in order to get out of her side of the bet.

"Oh no no no. Don't go adding last minute stipulations to the fray," Korra said drawing the line. She knew Asami would try to weasel her way out of it. "My win still counts."

"Says you," Asami said pointing at her.

Korra began to pout. "Can I atleast have my cake?"

Asami contemplated her options. "Hmm.. there maybe a small cupcake in the fridge just in case you pulled through on your end," she said peaking Korra's interest.

Korra was slightly surprised by her actions. "Oh Really? And here I thought you doubted my skills of resistance," she said heading back into the kitchen to see.

"I'm not sure if that even exists," Asami said with a smug outlook.

"Trust me it does," Korra said under her breath. She opened up the fridge again and saw the chocolate cup cake on the second shelf. She took it out and came back up to Asami after closing the fridge again.

Asami stood there with her arms folded. "But when it comes to Iroh I can see that it does," she said wholeheartedly. "I know it was just a silly bet but thank you for taking it serious."

Korra opened up the container her cup cake was in and stuck a plastic fork in it. "Of course. For Iroh's sake," she said tapping Asami on the shoulder.

Asami took a deep breath as Korra walked over to the couch taking a seat. "Yeah. For Iroh.."

Iroh came back out of his room and up to his mom. "Do you know where my shower cap is?"

"I'll get it in a second," Asami told him.

Iroh nodded and headed into the bathroom to start the shower.

Asami walked over to the hallway and stopped to look back at Korra; who was eating her cupcake while turning on the TV. With a content smile, Asami walked back into her room to get what her son asked for.


End file.
